About 90 trainees of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) who were dismissed after three months of training have appealed to the government to investigate their dismissal and consider a fair resolution to their situation.
The affected trainees, in a petition dated October 20, 2026, said they were dismissed with only one month remaining before their expected passing-out ceremony after being informed that applicants who used their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) certificates were not eligible for recruitment.
According to the petition, the trainees successfully completed the recruitment and documentation processes and received invitations to attend training school after being considered qualified to proceed.
They questioned why their eligibility was not identified as an issue during the initial screening, rather than after they had spent three months at the training school. “If our certificates did not meet the recruitment requirements, why were we allowed to pass through the initial screening, complete the necessary documentation, and spend three months at the training school before being dismissed?” they asked.
The trainees said they had each spent more than GH¢20,000 on recruitment-related expenses, including transportation, accommodation, food and training preparations. They explained that some had borrowed money, while others relied on financial support from their parents, relatives and friends.
The dismissal, they said, had left them facing financial difficulties, disappointment and uncertainty about their future after sacrificing their resources to secure employment with the Service.
“We have now returned home without the opportunity we worked and sacrificed for, carrying financial burdens, disappointment, embarrassment, and uncertainty about what the future holds,” the petition stated.
The affected trainees also expressed concern about the emotional and financial consequences of the experience, saying it had placed many of them in a difficult position before their families, friends and fellow party members.
They stressed that they were not asking for special treatment or for recruitment requirements to be ignored, but wanted an explanation for why the eligibility issue was not identified before they were admitted to training.
“We are not asking for special treatment or for recruitment requirements to be ignored,” they stated. “We are asking why the eligibility issue was not identified before we were admitted to training, and why we were permitted to invest so much time, hope, and money before being dismissed.”
The petitioners appealed to the government, the Ministry of the Interior, the leadership of the GNFS and other relevant authorities to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding their dismissal and consider their cases for reconsideration, where legally and administratively possible, or another fair remedy.
They also called on media organisations to investigate their concerns, give them a platform to be heard and help secure a response from the appropriate authorities.
The trainees said they remained hopeful that government intervention would provide a fair hearing and prevent the experience from destroying the hopes of young people seeking employment and an opportunity to contribute to national development.
The petition was signed on behalf of the affected trainees by Essie Victor. The petition did not include a response from the GNFS or the Ministry of the Interior regarding the circumstances of the dismissals.
