Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has confirmed that Members of Parliament (MPs) receive protocol slots for recruitment into Ghana’s security services.
Speaking on GHOne TV’s State of Affairs with Lantam Papanko, Afenyo-Markin described the practice as a longstanding convention that benefits MPs from both the ruling and opposition parties.
His revelation came during discussions on the vetting of Minister-designate Dr. Omane Boamah, Afenyo-Markin acknowledged the existence of a “protocol list” in the security recruitment process. He explained that MPs are often asked to submit names of qualified constituents for consideration, a practice he benefited from even when he was in opposition.
“That is true,” Afenyo-Markin stated. “When I came into Parliament in 2013 from the opposition, I saw that because of the pressure from our constituents, the ministers responsible would ask us to submit names. I benefited when I was in opposition, and that is true.”
He explained that these protocol slots are not handed out arbitrarily but are reserved for qualified candidates. MPs are expected to ensure that nominees meet all recruitment requirements, including age limits, academic qualifications, and body selection processes.
“When we came into government, our friends also benefited, but sometimes I wonder why they fail to admit it,” he noted. “I remember Dr. Ben Kumbour, when he was Defense Minister, gave us protocol slots. Those of us on the Defense and Interior Committee received them. When Dominic Nitiwul became Defense Minister, I also allocated protocol slots to both NDC and NPP MPs. Ambrose Dery did the same.”
Afenyo-Markin insisted that the practice is a standard one among MPs and not a means to bypass merit-based recruitment. “It is not that an unqualified person is recruited, but rather a qualified person is given an opportunity through their MP,” he emphasized.
When questioned about whether this system disadvantages applicants without connections to MPs, Afenyo-Markin downplayed the concern, explaining that each MP receives only one slot out of thousands of applicants.
“MPs are 276, and they allocate one for each MP out of 10,000 or 5,000 applicants. That is nothing,” he argued. “The leaders, committee chairs, and ranking members sometimes receive more based on their positions. I recall when I was on the Defense and Interior Committee, the ranking member received more slots. The then-chair, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, insisted on fairness, ensuring senior members got more.”
