Economist Nelson Cudjoe Kuagbedzi has attributed the tragic deaths and injuries at the El-Wak Stadium during a military recruitment exercise to the overwhelming number of graduates produced by Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.
Reports indicate that six Ghanaians lost their lives in a stampede after thousands gathered for screening into various security agencies on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
Reacting to the incident, Kuagbedzi criticized the lack of strategic planning for students completing the Free SHS programme.
“The majority of those who turned up for recruitment were SHS graduates. That tells you the Free SHS programme has created a surge in numbers, and every year, when such opportunities arise, they rush to take advantage of them. This shows that the programme lacked a clear end objective. There’s no point in sending people to school if, at the end of the day, they graduate only to remain unemployed,” he said on TV3’s morning show on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
He further emphasized that the excessive number of graduates from the Free SHS system contributed to the chaos witnessed at the stadium.
“What happened clearly demonstrates that economic policy decisions must be based on data. The excess number of students churned out annually is a contributing factor to the tragedy.”
Kuagbedzi urged the government to adopt more proactive policy measures and called on the private sector to absorb a significant portion of the workforce.
“As has been said, the government cannot employ every graduate. The bulk of employment must come from the private sector. The government’s role is to create an enabling environment for private enterprise to thrive. To address unemployment in Ghana, our policymakers must base decisions on sound economic and financial data.”
Following the incident, authorities ordered applicants who were unable to complete the process to return on November 13, 14 and 15.
