The Minister for the Interior, Hon. Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has delivered a detailed account of his ministry’s activities and achievements from January to June 2025, outlining a roadmap aimed at ensuring public safety, improving service delivery, and fostering national cohesion under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking at the first edition of the Government Accountability Series organised by the Presidency Communications, the Minister reaffirmed the government’s overarching goal of creating a secure and peaceful Ghana.
“A peaceful and safe Ghana will provide a conducive macroeconomic environment and an environment that will help us to be able to sustain development towards achieving government programs aimed at bolstering the economy and improving the lives of Ghanaians, such as the 24-Hour Economy program.”
Minister for the Interior, Hon. Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka
Describing the Ministry of Interior as a key pillar in the national agenda for law and order, Hon. Muntaka stated, “We have the privilege to lead the effort of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama towards ensuring the maintenance of law and order in the country.”
He emphasised that the progress made so far reflected not only the policy direction of the President but also the operational commitment of all agencies under the Ministry.
Amendment of Public Holiday Act
One of the notable legislative strides made under the Mahama administration, according to the Minister, is the amendment of the Public Holiday Act.
The Act now recognises 21st September as Founder’s Day, marking the birth of Ghana’s first leader and founding father, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. This move, Hon. Muntaka noted, is geared towards fostering an inclusive society through historical recognition of national heroes.
“In the Public Holiday Act, we shift all holidays that fall on mid-week to either Friday or Monday. We call them the bank of holidays, and this is essentially to help the tourism industry and the creative art industry.”
Minister for the Interior, Hon. Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka
De-escalating Tensions in Troubled Areas and Key Reforms
Addressing national security, Hon. Muntaka highlighted significant progress in de-escalating tensions in previously troubled areas.
He reported that the number of towns under curfew had been reduced from eleven to five—namely, Walewale, Binduri, Bawku, Sampa, and Nkwanta.
“This reflects improved security and dialogue and has restored normalcy in previously affected communities,” he said, adding that the lifting of curfews had expanded civil liberties and demonstrated the efficacy of government engagement with local stakeholders.
The Minister also spoke about ongoing reforms within the Ministry’s administrative processes, noting that traditionally, services such as immigration quota permits, dual citizenship processing, private security licensing, and arms importation permits have been handled manually.
However, Hon. Muntaka revealed that a digital transformation of these services is underway and expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
“This intervention, when rolled out, will streamline workflow, reduce delay, enhance public access to services, and improve transparency and accountability”.
Minister for the Interior, Hon. Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka
Urban Decongestion and Youth Empowerment
One of the more pressing urban challenges tackled by the Ministry has been the presence of street beggars in major cities. Hon. Muntaka disclosed that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Ghana Immigration Service, more than 2,241 street beggars have been removed from the streets and repatriated to their countries.
“This exercise has restored public order in urban centres while supporting the vulnerable population with humane intervention,” he explained, adding that efforts are ongoing to expand this initiative nationwide.
On the subject of youth empowerment, the Interior Ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Youth Development to establish a security agencies internship scheme.
The program, which is set to commence training later this week, aims to enhance youth employability while boosting the operational capacity of the police, prison, and fire services.
“Interns will be deployed across our key security institutions to support their operations,” Hon. Muntaka stated, underlining the program’s dual objective of workforce development and institutional strengthening.
Prison Education Reforms
Another forward-looking initiative being pursued by the Ministry involves collaboration with the Ministry of Education to overhaul educational and training programmes within the Ghana Prisons Service.
Hon. Muntaka was candid in his critique of the current system, describing it as one that merely warehouses prisoners without meaningful rehabilitation.
“We are working to sign an MOU that will allow the prison service to produce 30% of its own inputs while transforming the prison environment into a place of learning and productivity”.
Minister for the Interior, Hon. Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka
Concluding his presentation, the Minister expressed hope that the transparency offered through such platforms would strengthen public trust and contribute to the collective effort of building a more secure and prosperous Ghana.
The event marks yet another effort by the Presidency to ensure that government officials are held accountable to the people through open communication and performance reviews.
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