Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has emphasized that the 2026 budgetary allocation to the ministry is below the minimum required to meet the operational needs of the ministry and its agencies.
The minister highlighted the dire needs of the security services under the ministry, stating that the budgetary allocation does not reflect the concerns before the government.
The security services under the Ministry of the Interior include the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Prisons Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, and the Ghana Immigration Service.
The minister stated that the actual budget came with a “massive slash” on the figures that they had already struggled to keep in check.
He highlighted many inadequacies of the various security services under the ministry, emphasizing the need for an adjustment in their budget to at least “meet the minimum” requirement.
With the Ghana Prisons Service, he highlighted the ineffectiveness of operations due to overreliance on manual processes instead of the required technological tools.
“If you go to our prisons, we don’t even have a simple jammer, where you can jam and people sit; if they sneak in a phone, they’re not able to use it.
“We don’t have a simple intuitive scanner where, when you are entering the prisons, by passing through it, they’re able to see anything being concealed. Everything is being done manually.”
Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior
He emphasized that these challenges are not just limited to the smaller prisons alone but also include minimum and maximum prisons like Ankaful and Nsawam.
He also stated that even septic entry points for waste management in about 48 prisons have broken down, noting that some of these tools were procured 20 years ago.
“I had to reach out to private individuals to support us to be able to even get a bus that would be collecting our remote prisoners to and from courts. So, the challenges are enormous.”
Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior
With the Ghana National Fire Service, the minister lamented their reliance on old fire tenders, noting that the demand for their services makes it not worthy to continue on that tangent.
“The last time this country bought a fire tender was 2014. And you and I know these are massive vehicles that are run with speed every day. And when there’s some fire, they run with speed.
“Their lifetime is such that many of them do not go beyond 10 years, but some of them are over 15 years, and some are as old as 20 years. And we still expect them to be able to perform to their maximum.”
Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior
The minister further highlighted his engagement with the president on this issue, stating that the president had earlier given an assurance of plans to retool the Fire Service with some needed materials, including the fire tenders.
“In the retooling, the President has assured us that this year, he is going to do everything possible to get us at least 100 fire tenders. Let’s even say that we are able to start with 60. That would be a good one.
“But it doesn’t reflect in our budget. And I’ve drawn the attention of His Excellency and also the finance minister.”
Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior
He further stated that he has been engaging the finance minister to make adjustments in order to “make sure that at least we’re able to keep the officers, the men and women, who are doing everything to protect all of us daily.
The minister further expressed his optimism, stating that he is hopeful for a positive outcome from his engagements with the finance minister.
He emphasized that inasmuch as the “budget envelope” may be tight, the security of the country must be prioritized and adequately funded to carry out their responsibilities.
“Like I always say, if you don’t pay serious attention to your security, and, God forbid, something happens, it becomes even more serious.”
Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior
He further emphasized that it is very necessary that the finance minister consider the concerns being raised and “at least give us the minimum to enable us to float.”
He therefore expressed his hopes for better budgetary allocation to the ministry next year, as things are expected to be better then.
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