Entrepreneur and philanthropist, Seidu Agongo has described Ghana’s worsening unemployment situation as a growing national security threat, following the tragic stampede at a military recruitment exercise that claimed six lives and injured over 30 others at the El-Wak Stadium in Accra on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
In a statement issued to the media, Mr. Agongo said the heartbreaking incident, which occurred when thousands of young people gathered for enlistment into the Ghana Armed Forces, was “a stark reminder of the depth of despair and hopelessness among Ghana’s youth.”
He noted that the tragedy was not an isolated occurrence but “a symptom of the widening gap between job seekers and available opportunities,” stressing that Ghana’s unemployment crisis had reached a point where it must be treated as a national emergency. Quoting security analysts, including Dr. Emmanuel Aning of the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre (KAIPTC), Mr. Agongo reiterated that youth joblessness poses a serious threat to national stability.
According to the World Bank, more than 500,000 young people enter Ghana’s labour market each year, yet job creation continues to lag behind. Currently, only 13% of workers between the ages of 15 and 64 are in high-quality, secure jobs, while more than half (53%) of the workforce remains trapped in informal or low-income employment.
“The numbers are alarming,” Mr. Agongo said. “For many young people, the military and other security agencies represent the only path to stability - a job that offers not just a salary, but dignity and hope.”
He added that the overwhelming turnout at the recent recruitment exercise was evidence of how far young Ghanaians are willing to go for a chance at a better life. While acknowledging the Armed Forces as a highly disciplined institution, Mr. Agongo expressed concern about the lack of effective planning and safety coordination that contributed to the stampede.
“With Ghana’s level of digital advancement, we should not be seeing thousands of people squeezed into one venue for physical screening,” he said. “Why were there no staggered time slots? Why was there no robust online pre-screening to reduce congestion? Lives were lost that could have been saved with proper planning.”
He urged the Ghana Armed Forces and other public institutions to modernize their recruitment systems, using technology and crowd management strategies to prevent future tragedies. Mr. Agongo cautioned political actors against turning the tragedy into a partisan issue, saying such incidents should instead unite the nation around urgent reforms. “This is not the time for blame games,” he said. “We must use this painful episode to reform our systems, rethink our employment strategies, and restore faith among our young people.”
He emphasized that unemployment must be addressed with the same seriousness as national security threats, calling for massive investments in job creation, skills development, and entrepreneurship. Mr. Agongo welcomed government initiatives such as the 24-Hour Economy policy, the Big Push industrialization plan, and the restructuring of the mining sector to promote value addition and local job creation.
However, he stressed that such initiatives must move beyond rhetoric into tangible, measurable action that directly benefits young people.
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