Government considers mandatory drug tests before public service recruitment – Muntaka

The government is considering introducing mandatory drug testing as a requirement for people seeking employment in Ghana’s public service, Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has disclosed.

According to the Minister, the Ministry of the Interior is preparing an Information Paper for Cabinet to formally present the proposal.

Mr Muntaka said the proposed policy is intended to ensure that persons entering the public service are screened for drug use before they are recruited.

“Very soon, the Ministry of the Interior will be taking an Information Paper to Cabinet, and one of the things that we are going to do is to ensure that nobody gets into public service until we do a drug test on you,” he said.

The Minister made the disclosure during the commissioning of a newly constructed six-unit first-floor classroom block at Sakafiya Islamic Senior High School.

Security services recruitment raises concerns

Mr Muntaka explained that the proposal was informed by findings from this year’s security services recruitment exercise.

More than 100,000 applicants reportedly underwent medical screening during the exercise. Unlike previous recruitment processes, the screening included drug testing and mental-health assessments in addition to conventional medical examinations.

The Interior Minister said the additional checks resulted in the disqualification of more than 6,000 applicants.

According to him, more than 4,000 applicants tested positive for various drugs, while approximately 2,000 others were disqualified following mental-health assessments.

He described the findings as concerning and said they had strengthened the case for extending such screening beyond the security services.

“It is shocking for us this year’s recruitment exercise. When we decided to test for drugs, over 6,000 people were disqualified because they tested positive for one drug or the other,” Mr Muntaka said.

Broader drug-control measures

The proposed public-service testing policy follows an earlier call by the Interior Minister for mandatory drug testing to become part of pre-employment requirements in both the public and private sectors.

In a statement to Parliament in June, Mr Muntaka advocated an Executive Order requiring drug tests before employment as part of measures to protect workplace safety, maintain institutional integrity and discourage substance abuse.

He also called for stronger regulation of precursor chemicals and pharmaceutical supply chains to prevent the diversion and misuse of substances such as tramadol.

The Minister further proposed the establishment of rehabilitation centres, particularly at least one in every region, to provide treatment and support for people suffering from substance-use disorders.

He has stressed that drug addiction should increasingly be treated as a public-health issue, alongside enforcement measures against trafficking and other drug-related offences.

The latest proposal, however, remains subject to consideration by Cabinet. A mandatory drug-testing requirement for all public-service recruits would therefore only take effect if the government approves the policy and establishes the appropriate framework for its implementation.