Former Chief of Defence Staff, Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, has urged the government to prioritise job creation in the agriculture sector to help address the growing demand for employment among young people.

His comments follow a recent disclosure by the Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, that more than 500,000 applications were received for just 5,000 recruitment slots across Ghana’s security services.

Speaking to Citi News on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Brigadier General (Rtd) Nunoo-Mensah said the situation highlights the limited employment opportunities available to young people. He called on leaders to guide the youth into productive ventures such as farming.

“Why not do something else apart from joining the immigration or the armed forces? Why not another job? Is that the only job that you can do?” he questioned.

He stressed that leadership must be demonstrated through practical example, adding that public officials should actively participate in the initiatives they encourage others to pursue.

“When I retired from the military under the Hilla Limann government, I went to have a farm near Haatso, like an ordinary person. Leadership is by example,” he said.

“And if you want to go into farming, you don’t go and sit in your Land Cruiser and tell them to go and farm, you go and farm with them. I had a farm in Agbogba, the farm is still there, and I farm. I didn’t sit in a Land Cruiser and say, ‘Go and farm.’ I do farm with them.”

Brigadier General (Rtd) Nunoo-Mensah added that many young people apply to join the security services not necessarily out of preference but because they lack alternative job opportunities.

“Young people want jobs. They don’t want to join the force; they want jobs. They want any job to do. But because you can’t offer them anything, they join the police, they join immigration, they join the armed forces,” he said.