Alan Kyerematen has declared the widespread unemployment crisis in Ghana to be a threat to national security.
He said that each year, more than 300,000 people leave universities and colleges without even a remote chance of finding work. To back up his claim, he cited the three days of “OccupyJulorbiHouse” protests in Accra, organised by the Democracy Hub.
Alan Kyerematen argued that working for the government was out of the question because of the excessive number of government employees.
After Alan Kyerematen resigned from the New Patriotic Party on September 25, 2023, he made the statement that “Every year, over 300,000 graduates from tertiary institutions in Ghana, excluding those from secondary institutions, enter the job market with little or no hope of finding a job. Clearly, public sector employment is not an option with an already over-bloated public service. This phenomenon of pervasive employment crisis is gradually becoming a national security threat, as evidenced by the recent “Occupy Julorbi House” demonstrations.”
For three days in a row, protesters led by Democracy Hub marched against economic stagnation and corruption using the hashtag #OccupyJulorbiHouse.
On September 21, Day 1 of the #OccupyJulorbiHouse protests organised by the Democracy Hub, police illegally arrested hundreds of protesters who were calling for action to be taken on the current economic crisis and corruption.
There was a lot of backlash against the police for their heavy-handed tactics and interference with protesters’ constitutional rights after the illegal arrests became public.
While fellow protesters and attorneys worked to secure bail for those unlawfully detained, police transported those taken into custody to the regional headquarters before releasing them to about eight police stations spread across the capital.
There were also reports of police violence against journalists and protesters who gathered in large numbers, particularly at the Accra Regional Command. This included shoving, forced detention, phone seizure, and even assault in some cases.
