John Dramani Mahama has directed a significant expansion of the ongoing recruitment into the country’s security services, increasing the number of personnel to be enlisted from 20,000 to 40,000 over a four-year period.
The directive was issued after the President held a high-level meeting with heads of the various security agencies, according to a statement from the Presidency dated Monday, March 16.
The meeting brought together key security officials, including the Minister for the Interior and the Acting Minister for Defence, to review the ongoing recruitment exercise across the security agencies.
Following a briefing on the process, President Mahama instructed that the number of recruits be substantially increased to strengthen the country’s security institutions.
“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 statement said.
The President also stressed the importance of integrity in the recruitment process, directing the leadership of the security services to ensure that the exercise is conducted with the highest standards of accountability.
“The Heads of the Security Agencies must ensure transparency and fairness in the recruitment process,” the statement added.
Among those present at the meeting were the Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the President, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs and the National Security Coordinator.
Also in attendance were the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, the Director-General of the Ghana National Fire Service, the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service and the Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission.
The directive comes amid public criticism of the recruitment process after the Interior Ministry disclosed that only 5,000 applicants would be considered in the current phase of the exercise, which relates to the 2025 intake.
The ministry has faced backlash following reports that more than 500,000 recruitment vouchers were sold despite the limited number of positions available, raising concerns among applicants and the general public.
