The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) have executed a one-year agreement to recruit 5,000 young Ghanaians nationwide as Fire Service Assistants (FSAs).
The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment.
The agreement, according to the interior ministry, aims to improve fire safety and emergency response skills across Ghana and provide job opportunities for Ghanaian youth.
The interior minister, Muntaka Mohammed–Mubarak, who witnessed the partnership signing ceremony on Friday, 2 May 2025, said he looked forward to the partnership showing its potential to “promote youth employment and national development”.
He said the partnership was consistent with the government’s 24-hour economy policy aimed at “expanding economic activity beyond traditional business hours.”
The partnership, he added, was also aimed at enhancing productivity, boosting competitiveness and generating more job opportunities.
The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, thanked the interior minister for implementing the module and appealed to him to develop other similar modules with the various agencies under the ministry.
Addressing stakeholders at the event, YEA’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Malik Basintale, and the acting Chief Fire Officer, Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong, underscored the need for the two state institutions to collaborate towards executing their respective mandates.
The GNFS boss said the recruitment of the FSAs “will strengthen the GNFS’s operations and contribute to the nation’s development”.
The partnership, according to the YEA, is a game changer and “a major step in tackling youth unemployment while strengthening the nation’s emergency response system.”
The agency added that the initiative was a demonstration of government’s commitment “to empowering the youth and enhancing the operations of the Ghana National Fire Service, especially in light of the recent rampant fire outbreaks across the country.”
Those employed through the GNFS-YEA partnership are to serve in various support roles for two years after which they would be encouraged to pursue “a career in the national fire service”.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
