By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
The Executive Director of the African Centre for Security and Counterterrorism, Emmanuel Kotin, has questioned the extension of the deadline for security services recruitment if the target was only 5,000 positions.
He said the Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, should have been transparent about the limited number of vacancies, arguing that extending the deadline only encouraged more people to apply.
“Why the need to extend the deadline if the target was 5,000?” he asked.
Speaking on GBC’s Current Agenda on March 14, 2026, Mr Kotin also criticised the practice of selling application forms, arguing that young people willing to risk their lives to serve their country should not be charged.
He noted that in other countries, recruits are incentivised to serve, and stressed that Ghana’s high youth unemployment remains a serious challenge.
“Why should you pay to get recruited to serve your country? In other jurisdictions, people are incentivised to serve,” he said.
The recent security services recruitment exercise in Ghana attracted nearly 500,000 applicants competing for about 5,000 positions.
The Minority in Parliament has called for a refund of GH¢113 million collected from unsuccessful applicants, describing the process as unfair and exploitative.
The recruitment process was also marred by technical challenges and internet disruptions during the aptitude test, which led to the disqualification of many applicants.
The Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has however defended the process, citing the need to maintain standards and transparency.
