Police, YEA to train 12,000 youth as community assistants
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
The Ghana Police Service and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) have signed a new agreement to recruit and train 12,000 young people as community police assistants across the country.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on Monday, May 19, 2025, is part of a broader effort to address youth unemployment and improve public safety. The signing took place in Accra in the presence of the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka.
According to the minister, the initiative targets two major challenges: the high number of unemployed youth and the limited police presence in many communities.
“This is a practical way to improve public safety while offering employment to young Ghanaians,” Mr. Muntaka said.
The program will engage young people aged 18 to 35, who will receive basic training in policing and intelligence gathering before being deployed to their local communities to support regular police personnel.
The Chief Executive Officer of the YEA, Malik Basintale, described youth unemployment as a growing global issue.
“Globally, 1.8 billion young people are jobless. My daily task is to create opportunities for the youth of Ghana,” he said.
Mr. Basintale explained that the new recruits will work closely with existing police officers, using their knowledge of local areas to help enhance security without putting extra strain on the current force.
“These 12,000 positions are in line with the president’s vision for a 24-hour economy and will directly impact lives,” he added.
Also present at the ceremony were the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, Mr. George Opare Addo, and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, both of whom played key roles in securing the agreement. Training and deployment of the recruits is expected to begin in the coming months.
