The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Ghana Police Service, and Ghana Immigration Service have jointly recommended that appointments to top positions within their respective institutions be subject to parliamentary approval before assumption of office.

This proposal was made during a public hearing held by the Constitutional Review Committee, where the country's leading security agencies including the military, police, immigration, and other allied services raised serious concerns about political interference, recruitment procedures, and the current composition of the National Security Council.

According to the Commissioner General of the Ghana Boundary Commission, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel W. Kotia, parliamentary oversight in high-level security appointments would strengthen accountability and follow international best practices.

“In the case of the appointment of the Military Command, they should go through Parliamentary approval, not necessarily consultation with the Council of State. We have this in Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia,” he noted.

Echoing the need for reform, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Technical Services emphasized the importance of effective decision-making within the National Security Council and highlighted challenges with its current structure.

“We may not be able to copy what Kenya and South Africa is doing but the most important thing is how they go far. For me, if we can’t identify any challenges or complexities regarding the composition of the National Security Council in Ghana… We are talking about security, so at the time that you’re making decisions you need swift decision making. So the President, the Ministerial and the Technical who even whilst in that meeting there may be something faster their men will send to them that the National Security Council may need to know.

“So if you take them out the Minister may not have that information quickly that is needed to actually solve,” he explained.

The Deputy Controller at the Ghana Immigration Service, Lord Afari, also raised issues about inconsistency in appointment procedures among the security services.

He noted disparities in how appointments are made across the various institutions.

“We are all listed as public services but the Police can appoint IGP and the Commissioners of Police directly but when they are appointing Commissioners of Immigration Services they must be referred to the Police Council,” he said.