The Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has disclosed that more than 6,000 applicants were disqualified during the ongoing 2025/2026 security services recruitment process after failing drug and mental health assessments.
Speaking in an interview on Pan African TV on Saturday May 23, 2026, he revealed that out of over 100,000 applicants who advanced to the medical screening stage, more than 4,000 tested positive for drugs while over 2,000 were found medically unfit on mental health grounds.
According to him, the recruitment exercise initially attracted more than 500,000 applications for only 5,000 available positions across the country’s security services, including the police and immigration services.
Mr. Muntaka explained that the introduction of drug and mental health screenings was aimed at addressing concerns from previous recruitment exercises and ensuring that only qualified and fit individuals are enlisted into the security services.
The revelations have sparked widespread public discussion, with many expressing concerns over the growing levels of drug abuse and mental health challenges among young people in Ghana.
Observers have linked the situation to rising unemployment, economic hardship and increasing social pressures facing the youth, while calling for stronger mental health support systems and drug abuse prevention programmes nationwide.
CREDIT: Mavis Fantevi
