The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at recruiting 5,000 Fire Service Assistants.
This partnership seeks to enhance fire safety and emergency response capabilities across the nation while providing employment opportunities for the youth.
Speaking at the signing ceremony on Friday in Accra, the Minister for the Interior, Mr Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, expressed optimism about the initiative emphasizing its potential to promote youth employment and contribute to national development.
“This is in line with the Government’s 24-hour economy initiative, which aims to expand economic activity beyond traditional business hours, enhancing productivity, improving competitiveness, and creating more job opportunities,” he stated.
The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, Mr George Opare Addo, thanked the Minister for the Interior for implementing this initiative and appealed to him to develop other similar programs with the various agencies under the Ministry.
The Chief Executive Officer of YEA, Mr Malik Basintale, also highlighted the importance of institutional collaboration in fulfilling national mandates.
He described the agreement as one of the most significant moves by the Agency this year, noting that it aligns directly with the strategic goals outlined in the agency’s employment generation plan.
“This partnership is a step forward in tackling youth unemployment while enhancing fire safety efforts nationwide,” he stated.
The Acting Chief Fire Officer, Madam Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong, said the collaboration with YEA will substantially boost the capacity of the Ghana National Fire Service in communities and enhance their fire prevention and response capabilities.
She acknowledged the growing demands on the Service, especially with recent incidents involving markets, industrial hubs and densely populated neighbourhoods.
Madam Ntow noted that, the addition of 5,000 new Fire Service Assistants was expected to ease personnel constraints and enable the Service to broaden its community outreach and safety enforcement operations.
“We are not just filling vacancies, we are creating a pipeline of skilled young people equipped to serve the nation and support the Fire Service in its important mission,” she added.
The GNFS and YEA have affirmed their readiness to begin the implementation process and ensure that recruitment, training and deployment are carried out efficiently and transparently.
Judith Twumwaa, ISD
