President Mahama Orders Doubling of Security Services Recruitment to 40,000 Over Four Years
President John Dramani Mahama has directed a major expansion of recruitment across Ghana’s security services, increasing the target intake from 20,000 to 40,000 personnel over the next four years.
The directive was issued during a high-level meeting on Monday, March 16, 2026, with heads of the various security agencies, Interior Minister Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, and Acting Defence Minister Cassiel Ato Forson. The session reviewed progress in the ongoing recruitment exercise and assessed ways to strengthen national security.
According to an official statement released the same day, the President received a detailed briefing on the current recruitment drive before instructing that the number of men and women to be enlisted be significantly scaled up to reinforce the country’s security architecture.
President Mahama placed strong emphasis on transparency, fairness, and equal opportunity throughout the process, urging the leadership of all security institutions to ensure that qualified applicants from every part of the country are given a level playing field without favouritism or discrimination.
The meeting included key figures from the national security structure, among them Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Secretary to the President, Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs, and National Security Coordinator.
Also in attendance were the heads of the major security services:
- Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno
- Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie
- Director-General of the Ghana National Fire Service
- Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Samuel Amadu
- Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission
The expanded recruitment initiative is expected to substantially increase personnel strength across the Ghana Police Service, Prisons Service, Fire Service, Immigration Service, Narcotics Control Commission, and other agencies. It will also create thousands of additional employment opportunities for young Ghanaians aspiring to serve in the security sector.
The move forms part of the government’s broader strategy to enhance internal security, improve response capabilities, and address emerging threats while providing meaningful career paths for the country’s youth.
Further details on the revised recruitment timeline, eligibility criteria, and application procedures are expected to be announced by the respective security agencies in the coming weeks.
