Accra, Ghana – May 3, 2025
The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to recruit 5,000 young individuals as Fire Service Assistants. This initiative aims to enhance fire safety and emergency response capabilities while providing employment opportunities for Ghanaian youth.
Strengthening Fire Safety and Youth Employment
The partnership aligns with the government’s 24-hour economy agenda, which seeks to boost productivity, competitiveness, and job creation. By integrating young people into the fire service, the initiative addresses both public safety and youth unemployment concerns.
Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed–Mubarak, expressed optimism about the collaboration’s potential to promote youth employment and national development. He stated, “This partnership will not only create jobs for the youth but will also improve our emergency response framework.”
Operational Enhancement and Community Engagement
Acting Chief Fire Officer, Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong, highlighted that the addition of 5,000 Fire Service Assistants will bolster the GNFS’s operations, particularly in fire prevention and response capabilities. She noted, “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 vital mission.”
The deployment of these assistants is expected to ease personnel constraints and enable the Service to broaden its community outreach and safety enforcement operations.
Commitment to Youth Empowerment
YEA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Malik Basintale, emphasized the importance of institutional collaboration in fulfilling national mandates. He remarked, “It is only through collaboration like this that we can meet the pressing needs of both public institutions and the youth.”
Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, Hon. George Opare Addo, commended the Ministry of the Interior and the GNFS for implementing a forward-thinking module with practical value for young Ghanaians. He appealed for similar initiatives across other agencies under the Ministry.
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. Both institutions have indicated that the collaboration may serve as a model for future partnerships between public safety institutions and employment-focused agencies.
This initiative underscores the government’s dedication to youth empowerment and to strengthening the Ghana National Fire Service, especially in response to the surge in fire incidents across the country.
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