President John Dramani Mahama has directed an expansion of recruitment into Ghana’s security services, increasing the planned intake from 20,000 to 40,000 personnel over a four-year period.
The directive followed a high-level meeting between the President and the heads of the country’s security agencies, as well as the Minister for the Interior and the Acting Minister for Defence, to review the ongoing recruitment process.
According to a statement issued by the Presidency Communications Office and signed by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, the decision was taken after the President was briefed on the progress of the recruitment exercise.
The statement noted that the President instructed that the number of men and women to be recruited into the various security services should be doubled from the initial 20,000 to 40,000 within the four-year period.
President Mahama also directed the leadership of the security agencies to ensure that the recruitment process is conducted with transparency and fairness.
Officials who attended the meeting included the Chief of Staff, Secretary to the President, Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs and the National Security Coordinator. Also present were the heads of key security institutions, including the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Immigration Service, and the Narcotics Control Commission.
The expansion is expected to strengthen the country’s security architecture while creating employment opportunities for thousands of young people across the country.
