The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has explained that the pass mark for the ongoing security services aptitude test was set at 65 because of the limited number of spaces available in the current recruitment exercise.

According to him, the decision was necessary to reduce the number of applicants progressing to the medical stage of the recruitment process.

Mr. Mubarak explained that although more than half a million Ghanaians applied to join the security services, the first phase of the recruitment would only absorb about 5,000 recruits.

He noted that after the initial body selection and documentation stages, only a small number of applicants were disqualified, leaving more than 400,000 candidates eligible to sit for the aptitude test.

The minister indicated that allowing all those candidates to proceed to the medical examination stage would be unfair, especially because applicants are required to pay for the medical tests.

“Are you going to allow over 400,000 people to do medicals when there are only 5,000 spaces?,” he asked.

Mr. Mubarak explained that the pass mark was therefore fixed at 65 to drastically reduce the number of candidates progressing to the next stage.

He disclosed that even with the pass mark set at 65, about 105,000 applicants had still qualified to undertake the medical examinations, which remains far above the number of available positions.

The minister stressed that government wanted to avoid a situation where thousands of young applicants would spend money on medical examinations despite having little chance of being recruited.

He explained that the medical tests include several checks such as drug screening and mental health assessments, which contribute to the cost of the process.

According to Mr. Mubarak, the President had directed that the data of candidates who successfully pass the medical examinations should be kept for future recruitment exercises.

He said this would allow government to consider them in the next phase of recruitment instead of making them go through the entire process again.

Mr. Mubarak noted that the current exercise forms part of the 2025 security services recruitment, adding that government hoped to conduct another recruitment exercise once the country’s financial situation improves.

He added that applicants who pass the medical stage but are not selected in the current phase may only be required to repeat the medical examinations if a long period passes before the next recruitment.

By: Jacob Aggrey

The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has revealed that more than half a million Ghanaians applied to join the country’s security services, even though only about 5,000 positions are available in the first phase of the recruitment exercise.

He made this known today in Parliament while addressing concerns about the ongoing recruitment process and the high level of competition among applicants.

According to the minister, the limited number of vacancies is largely due to economic constraints and the available infrastructure within the various security services.

Mr. Mubarak explained that in the Ghana Police Service, the economy could only accommodate 2,500 new officers in the other ranks and 500 cadets, bringing the total number of new recruits for the service to about 3,000.

He noted that despite the limited vacancies, about 130,000 applicants indicated interest in joining the Ghana Police Service.

The minister disclosed that the Ghana Immigration Service recorded even higher interest from applicants.

According to him, by the time the recruitment portal was closed, more than 180,000 young men and women had applied to join the service, even though the current total staff strength of the Immigration Service stands at about 18,300 officers.

Mr. Mubarak said that due to infrastructure and capacity limitations, the service could only recruit 1,000 new officers in the current phase.

He further explained that the Ghana National Fire Service also received about 124,000 applications, even though the service currently has just over 17,000 personnel nationwide.

Despite the large number of applicants, he indicated that the service could only recruit a limited number of personnel due to space and logistical constraints.

The minister added that the Ghana Prisons Service received about 71,000 applications, even though its current staff strength stands at just over 14,000 officers.

According to him, the service could only accommodate 500 new recruits in the ongoing exercise.

Mr. Mubarak said that when all the available vacancies across the various security services are combined, the total number of recruits for the first phase of the exercise comes to about 5,000.

He explained that after the body selection and documentation stages of the recruitment process, fewer than 30,000 applicants were disqualified, leaving about 400,000 candidates eligible to proceed to the aptitude test and medical examination stages.

The minister noted that the high number of applicants shows the strong interest among young people in joining the country’s security services, but emphasized that recruitment must be conducted within the available capacity of the institutions.

By: Jacob Aggrey