Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, the Interior Minister, has announced that the government will not open applications for new recruitment into the various security services in 2027.
The Interior Minister disclosed that the decision is aimed at clearing the backlog of qualified applicants who have completed the recruitment process but could not be admitted for training.
According to the Interior Minister, the government would prioritise applicants who had already met the requirements for enlistment before considering new applications.
Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka revealed that the decision follows instructions from President John Dramani Mahama to ensure that those already in the recruitment pipeline are given the opportunity to join the security services.
Speaking before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Muntaka stated, “Next year, there will be no new applicants. We are not going to open the portal based on the President’s instructions. We are not going to open the portal for fresh applications.
“Those who have already applied, gone through and passed the process and qualified to have gone for training but space didn’t allow are the ones we will pick.
“We will keep picking from the list until we exhaust it before another application will be allowed.”
Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka’s announcement means prospective applicants looking to join the security services in 2027 will have to wait, while candidates already deemed qualified will be considered for enlistment.
It will be recalled that President John Dramani Mahama had earlier directed an increase in security services recruitment from 5000 to 10,000 yearly.
A statement from the presidency dated Monday, March 16, revealed the directive comes following a high-level meeting with heads of the various agencies.
President Mahama’s directives will see the number of men and women recruited to the various security agencies increased from twenty thousand (20,000) to forty thousand (40,000) over four years.
In a Presidency communication shared by signed by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, it read, “President John Dramani Mahama has held a high-level meeting with the Heads of Security Agencies, Minister for the Interior and Acting Minister for Defence on the ongoing security services recruitment process.
Following a briefing on the process, the President has directed that the number of men and women to be recruited to the various security agencies should be increased from twenty thousand (20,000) to forty thousand (40,000) over a four-year period.
The President has also directed the Heads of the Security Agencies to ensure transparency and fairness in the recruitment process.
Present at the meeting were the Chief of Staff, Secretary to the President, Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs, National Security Coordinator, Inspector General of Police, Director General Prisons, Director General Fire Service, Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service and the Director General of the Narcotics Control Commission”.
The development follows Muntaka Mubarak, the Minister for the Interior, who had revealed that only 5000 applicants out of 105,000 qualified for medicals will be recruited.
The Interior Minister stressed that the introduction of the aptitude test was to prevent the unfair practice of having 400,000 people pay for medicals for a space of 5,000.
According to the Interior Minister, the pass mark of the aptitude exams was 65, which means 105,000 applicants qualified for medicals.
Addressing a press briefing on Wednesday, March 11, made this known to the public, revealing that only 5000 applicants out of 105,000 who qualified for medicals will be recruited.
@ghnow_ The suspect in the murder case of Circle phone dealer Nana Yaw, popularly known as Terry/Dinero, has arrived at the Teshie District Court for a hearing. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ The suspect in the murder case of Circle phone dealer Nana Yaw, popularly known as Terry/Dinero, has arrived at the Teshie District Court for a hearing. #GHNow #fyp ♬ sonido original – YOSELIN♥️✨️
