A total of 12,802 officers of the Ghana Police Service have been promoted within the first six weeks of 2026, following an extensive administrative exercise authorised by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno.
The promotions, which took place between January and the first week of February 2026, covered ranks from Lance Corporal to Chief Inspector.
According to information from the IGP’s Secretariat, the exercise was largely aimed at clearing a significant backlog, with some of the affected officers having waited between five and ten years for advancement.
Details of the promotions were made available to the media after repeated enquiries to the IGP’s Secretariat. Officials explained that the process was conducted in line with existing regulations and procedures governing promotions within the Ghana Police Service.
The Secretariat stated that the promotions were mainly administrative in nature, alongside a number of special recommendations, all carried out in accordance with the Police Service Regulations, 2012 (Constitutional Instrument 76). Regulation 37 of C.I. 76 provides that promotions shall be based on promotion examinations, seniority and length of service, subject to satisfactory performance and good conduct, as well as special recommendations arising from acts of bravery, valour in crime prevention or exceptional performance of duty.
In recent days, sections of the media had suggested that the promotions were influenced by nepotism.
The IGP’s Secretariat, however, rejected those claims, stressing that the process followed established structures within the Service and was not conducted at the discretion of a single individual.
According to the Secretariat, instructions were sent to all units, districts, divisions and regional commands across the country’s 25 police regions to submit the names of officers who were due for promotion. These submissions, it said, formed the basis for the final list.
It further explained that the law does not vest sole authority for promotions in the IGP, as the applicable regulations require broader administrative involvement and oversight.
Providing a breakdown of the exercise, the Secretariat indicated that about 11,900 officers in the lower ranks were promoted by one rank based on time served and eligibility, while approximately 600 promotions were granted on the basis of special recommendations.
Some officers who had remained in the same rank beyond the stipulated four-year period were advanced to the next rank as part of the exercise.
The Secretariat also disclosed that numerous petitions had been received from officers who felt they had been unfairly treated in previous promotion cycles.
These included cases of personnel who had been on interdiction for extended periods, in some instances exceeding five years. After reviewing their cases, some were acquitted, discharged and subsequently promoted.
Other petitions related to errors in promotion dates, which had affected officers’ progression timelines. The administration reviewed these cases and corrected the anomalies where necessary.
In addition, families of officers who died in the line of duty submitted petitions, following which the affected personnel were promoted posthumously after their cases were examined.
