Over 6,000 applicants disqualified from Ghana’s security services recruitment after failing drug and mental health tests

• Over 100,000 applicants were screened in Ghana’s security recruitment exercise with new drug and mental health tests.

• More than 6,000 applicants were disqualified, including over 4,000 for drug use and about 2,000 for mental health reasons.

• Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak said the checks ensure only fit candidates join the security services.

Over 6,000 applicants have been disqualified from Ghana’s ongoing security services recruitment after failing newly introduced drug and mental health tests, according to Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak

He disclosed this during an interview on Pan African TV on Saturday.

He said over 100,000 applicants went through medical screening, which led authorities to introduce additional checks such as drug testing and mental health assessments due to concerns within the security services.

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According to him, more than 4,000 applicants failed the drug test, while about 2,000 were disqualified after mental health assessments.

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He said the results show the importance of strict screening to ensure only mentally and physically fit people are recruited into the security services, especially as concerns about personnel wellbeing continue to grow.

The inclusion of drug and mental health checks marks a major change in recruitment procedures for Ghana’s security agencies and reflects efforts to raise standards.