The Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Edem Agbana, has held a meeting with more than 600 young people from the constituency who applied to join various security agencies but were unsuccessful.

The engagement, held on Sunday, was aimed at offering encouragement and support to the affected applicants, many of whom expressed disappointment after being disqualified during the recruitment process.

Mr. Agbana said the meeting was motivated by the emotional distress experienced by some of the applicants, noting that several had reached out to him with concerns about their future after failing to secure enlistment.

He explained that for many of the youth, joining the security services was seen as a key pathway out of unemployment and poverty.

During the interaction, the MP urged the young people not to lose hope but to explore alternative opportunities, while also addressing their concerns and questions regarding the recruitment process.

He highlighted the competitive nature of the exercise, explaining that it is often difficult for authorities to select about 10,000 recruits from over 500,000 applicants nationwide.

Mr. Agbana indicated that discussions also focused on identifying alternative opportunities, including employment prospects and entrepreneurship, particularly in agriculture and small-scale businesses.

He revealed plans to create a database of the applicants to help connect them with job openings, encouraging individuals and organisations with employment opportunities to collaborate in supporting the youth.

The MP further assured those interested in starting businesses that he would assist where possible.

He emphasised that unemployment remains a major national challenge but expressed optimism that ongoing government initiatives will help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in both the public and private sectors.