The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has indicated that the government plans to exclude applicants already on the public payroll during recruitment into the country’s internal security agencies, while introducing mandatory mental health and drug tests for recruits.
Mr Mubarak disclosed this during a radio interview on Citi FM on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
He explained that the ministry had begun cross-checking recruitment data with records from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to identify applicants who were already receiving salaries from the public purse.
“If you are somebody who is already engaged, you already have a job and you are part of the government payroll, we want to give priority to those who do not have jobs,” Mr Muntaka said.
“At this stage, we want to give the opportunity to those who are unemployed,” he added.
However, the minister said exceptions could be made for professionals required in specialised areas, particularly health workers such as nurses, doctors and pharmacists.
He cited an example of a police facility in Kumasi that had struggled to operate because the required medical staff were not available.
Over 500,000 applications recorded
Mr Mubarak said the ongoing recruitment exercise had attracted a large number of applicants across four internal security agencies — the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Prisons Service.
According to him, about 390,000 individuals initially applied across the four services.
He said the number increased to more than 500,000 after accounting for applicants who submitted forms to more than one service, even though only 5,000 positions are available in the current recruitment phase.
Mr Mubarak added that more than 100,000 applicants passed the aptitude test after obtaining at least 65 per cent, far exceeding the available vacancies.
He further noted that financial constraints limit the number of recruits the government can absorb.
The minister said the annual wage bill for the four agencies under the Interior Ministry — which together employ close to 100,000 personnel — stands at about GH¢13 billion.
Mental health and drug tests introduced
Mr Mubarak also announced that the recruitment process would now include mental health assessments and drug tests as part of the mandatory medical examination.
“We are adding mental health and then the drug tests to our medical,” he said.
He explained that the additional screening was intended to prevent recruits with serious health conditions from entering training.
“If somebody is on drugs, if somebody has mental issues, if somebody has cardiac issues and you take them for training, they could lose their lives,” Mr Muntaka said.
He added that the medical examination conducted by the military costs about GH¢1,600 per candidate.
The minister further indicated that the data of applicants would be retained for future recruitment exercises.
According to him, applicants who have already passed the aptitude test may proceed directly to the medical stage in subsequent recruitment exercises without sitting the test again.
He also hinted that another phase of recruitment could be conducted later in the year if the country’s economic conditions improve.
Youth support workers engaged
Mr Mubarak also disclosed that 25,000 youth support workers had been engaged through the Youth Employment Agency.
According to him, 15,000 were assigned to the Ghana Police Service, while 5,000 each were attached to the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Prisons Service.
He added that those engaged did not go through a formal interview process.
Nunoo-Mensah raises employment concerns
A former Chief of Defence Staff and National Security Adviser under the late John Evans Atta Mills, Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, said the large number of applicants reflected the broader employment challenges confronting the country.
“Is that the only work you have in Ghana? We can’t create work for young people to do except to be policemen, immigration or military?” he said.
Gen Nunoo-Mensah, who said he would turn 90 in December this year, noted that many young people were simply searching for opportunities to survive.
He urged political leaders to lead by example by investing in agriculture and other productive sectors, warning that reliance on public sector employment alone cannot sustain the country’s growing youth population.
“Leadership is by example,” he said. “You don’t direct them. You march with them.”
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh