Ghana and Uganda face teacher shortages amid budget‑capped hiring

Ghana's Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said more than 40,000 people applied for 7,000 teaching vacancies that the government can fund this year. The ministry plans to recruit an additional 16,000 teachers in two phases of 8,000 each during 2026‑27, citing limits in the public‑sector wage budget and competing recruitment needs in health and other services. Concerns were raised about the transparency of the online recruitment portal.

In Uganda, the Education Service Commission reported that about 5,300 teachers were certified as fit for government employment, but only 1,333 positions were available, leaving roughly 4,000 qualified candidates without jobs. The shortfall is attributed to the wage ceiling set by the education ministry, while overall vacancy estimates exceed 100,000 teaching posts nationwide.