No New Security Service Applications in 2027 as Ghana Clears Recruitment Backlog

• Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak announced the suspension of fresh security service recruitment applications in 2027
• The decision follows a directive from President John Dramani Mahama to prioritise qualified candidates already in the system
• The recruitment portal will remain closed to new applicants until the government exhausts the existing pool of eligible candidates

Ghana's government will not accept fresh applications into the country's security services in 2027, as authorities shift focus to processing a backlog of candidates who qualified during previous recruitment exercises but were never enlisted.

Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak shared the plan on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, while appearing before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee.

He attributed the decision to a direct instruction from President John Dramani Mahama.

The minister explained that many individuals had already completed the full recruitment process, passed assessments, and met all training requirements, yet could not secure placements because of limited capacity.

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He said those candidates would take precedence in 2027.

"Next year, there will be no new applicants. We are not going to open the portal based on the President's instructions. We are not going to open the portal for fresh applications," Muntaka said.

The Facebook video in which the Interior Minister clarified the recruitment arrangements for 2027 is below.

Qualified security service candidates to get priority

Rather than launching a new recruitment drive, the government intends to work through the existing pool of vetted applicants.

Muntaka confirmed that selections would continue from that list until every eligible person had been considered.

"Those who have already applied, gone through and passed the process and qualified to have gone for training but space didn't allow are the ones we will pick," he stated.

He added that the recruitment portal would only reopen to new applicants once all outstanding candidates had been accommodated.

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"We will keep picking from the list until we exhaust it before another application will be allowed," the minister said.

What this means for prospective applicants

For Ghanaians hoping to join the police, immigration, prisons, fire service, or other security agencies, the announcement signals a waiting period of at least a year before new applications are entertained.

The government's position is that fairness to those who completed the process demands that they be served first before the field is opened to fresh candidates.

The minister did not specify how many candidates currently sit on the backlog list or provide a timeline for when the portal might reopen beyond the 2027 suspension.

Australia opens military recruitment to one country

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Australia announced that Papua New Guinea is the sole country whose citizens will be permitted to apply to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF), with the application window set to open on November 16, 2026.

The announcement, made on 20 October 2026, is a direct outcome of the Pukpuk Treaty, a landmark mutual defence agreement between the two Pacific nations that was signed on 6 October 2025.

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The programme will initially operate on a limited scale to allow the necessary structures and processes to be put in place before any wider expansion is considered.

Source: YEN.com.gh