The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has begun a rigorous effort to address enlistment and recruitment fraud following the discovery that 210 out of 452 prospective officer cadets did not meet the eligibility criteria.
This was disclosed by the Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, during the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House on Monday, July 21, 2025.
According to Dr Boamah, an internal audit and investigation conducted by the GAF into the enlistment process for the Ghana Military Academy revealed that nearly half of the candidates did not qualify.
“452 Ghana Military Academy hopefuls were investigated. Sadly, the outcome of the investigation and audit… revealed that 210 out of 452 (46%) did not meet the eligibility test,” he said.
He explained that for the Regular Career Course (RCC) 64 intake currently in training, 34 officer cadets were found to have bypassed one or more stages of the enlistment process. While acknowledging the difficulty of sending them home after nearly a year of training, the minister said they would be given a final chance to meet all requirements.
“Twelve months! Sending 34 well-trained energetic youth who had endured military training home… can have severe consequences. So, they have been directed to fulfil all criteria. However, if they fail to meet these requirements, they would be released from training,” he clarified.
For the RCC 65 and Short Service Course (SSC) 62 candidates who had not yet reported for training, the directive was clear: “They have since been directed to discontinue their participation in the enlistment process.”
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Dr Boamah reiterated the government’s commitment to restoring integrity to the GAF recruitment process. “The Ghana Armed Forces must be a force of excellence, integrity, opportunity and national integration,” he stated.
He further announced that a comprehensive enlistment and recruitment exercise will begin soon to increase the military’s manpower by 12,000 over the next three and a half years.
The Defence Minister warned the public against falling victim to fraudsters claiming to represent the GAF in recruitment processes, stressing that all enlistment will be based on merit.
“Joining the Ghana Armed Forces under President Mahama will be based solely on merit, not money. That era is over,” he declared.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
