By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Nov. 11, GNA – Mr Ahmed Adade Boakye, Chief Executive Officer of ALSALE Limited has proposed an insurance scheme to protect companies that employ returning citizens (Ex-convicts) against losses linked to misconduct, theft or damage while they are in the workplace.
He said the scheme should be developed through a partnership involving the Government, insurance companies, the Crime Check Foundation (CCF) and the private sector.
Mr Boakye made the proposal at the maiden National Returning Citizens Reintegration Conference 2026, organised by CCF in Accra.
Under the proposed arrangement, insurance cover would protect employers against losses arising from misconduct, theft or damage linked to a returning citizen employee during an agreed period.
He said the arrangement would give employers confidence to offer jobs to people who had completed their sentences and were seeking to reintegrate into society.
He said many Ghanaian companies had genuine concerns about employing returning citizens, which needed to be addressed for the Employ One Returning Citizen campaign to succeed.
“As I sat there as an employer, I was thinking about the reality of the situation and how we can resolve the issue of assimilating returning citizens into corporate institutions and companies. We have genuine fear of safety, genuine fear of instability, genuine fear of reputation and how the reputation will affect our customers and clients,” he said.
He explained that businesses, particularly those handling money, valuables and sensitive data, were concerned about the risks associated with employing people with criminal records.
He said such concerns did not necessarily mean employers were unwilling to give returning citizens a second chance, but reflected the absence of safeguards to protect businesses if problems arose.
Mr Boakye said ALSALE Limited, which provides cash management, cash-in-transit and security services, understood the concerns because of the sensitive nature of its operations.
He, however, maintained that returning citizens could be trusted to work and rebuild their lives if appropriate support and safeguards were put in place.
He called for skills training, mentoring and supervision for returning citizens before and after their employment to ensure that employers were not left to bear the responsibility alone.
“Employers should not just be asked to take a risk. They should be supported to take that risk. Give us trained, mentored and monitored workers, and give us insurance. Then you will see companies employ them,” he said.
Mr Boakye also urged the government to introduce tax incentives for companies that employed returning citizens to encourage more businesses to participate in their reintegration.
He further called for a review of police clearance requirements that automatically disqualified some returning citizens from jobs for which they were qualified, and pledged ALSALE Limited’s commitment to working with CCF to employ certified returnees.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Morkporkpor Anku
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