Ghana Security Recruitment: Over 6,000 Applicants Test Positive for Substance Abuse
- More than 6,000 applicants for Ghana’s security services have failed mandatory illicit substance tests
- The figures, disclosed by the Narcotics Control Commission, have raised concerns about substance abuse among prospective recruits
- Authorities said the development underscores the need for stronger prevention, enforcement and support systems to tackle substance abuse nationwide
More than 6,000 applicants seeking entry into Ghana’s security services have failed mandatory drug screenings.
The candidates, representing roughly seven per cent of all screened individuals, tested positive for illicit substances. methamphetamine, opiates and tramadol.
Source: Facebook
The affected applicants were hoping to join the police, prison, fire and ambulance services.
In a report by Graphic Online, Brigadier General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), disclosed the figures during an event in Accra.
“If we cannot secure the people who guard our streets, how do we secure the country? This is not a cause for despair; it is a call for urgent, systematic action,” he said.
In response to growing synthetic drug threats, NACOC has expanded its regional operations, logging over 2,200 arrests and seizing 8.5 tonnes of narcotics since 2025.
Upgrades, including new airport body scanners and a forensic laboratory, are scheduled for completion later this year.
Chief of Staff Julius Debrah advocated a balanced approach to the crisis.
“We must be uncompromising in our response to criminal organisations that traffic illicit substances, recruit vulnerable young people and profit from human suffering. But we must also recognise that many of those struggling with addiction are themselves victims,” he stated.
Job seekers to undergo compulsory drug tests
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Interior Minister, Muntaka Mubarak, had disclosed that government was considering an Executive Order to introduce mandatory drug testing for job seekers in Ghana.
The proposal, aimed at promoting workplace safety and reducing substance abuse, was presented in Parliament on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
He also called for expanded rehabilitation centres across all regions, stressing a shift towards treating drug addiction as a public health issue.
Source: YEN.com.gh
