File photo of army recruits
The Minister of Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has disclosed that 50% of new recruits of the Ghana Armed Forces, whom he ordered to be investigated, did not meet the eligibility criteria.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, July 21, 2025, Dr Omane Boamah, while bemoaning enlistment fraud in the army, said that 34 of these recruits, who are currently undergoing training, managed to dodge several of the enlistment processes.
“When I assumed office as Minister for Defence, I instituted an enquiry into the enlistment of would-be officers. 452 Ghana Military Academy hopefuls were investigated. Sadly, the outcome of the investigation and audit conducted by the Ghana Armed Forces into enlistment into the Ghana Military Academy for the Regular Career Call 64 and 65, and Short Service Call intake 62 revealed that 210 out of 452 representing 46%, did not meet the eligibility test.
“For the Regular Career Call 64, who are currently in training, the audit pointed to some 34 trainees who sidestepped one or more of the stages of the enlistment processes,” the minister said.
He further disclosed that, because of the dangers of releasing the officers who had been in training for nearly a year, he has given them the chance to rectify the anomalies in their recruitment processes.
“It was difficult sending them home since they had been in training for almost one year, 12 months. Sending 34 well-trained, energetic youth who had endured military training home in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous West African sub-region with free-floating weapons and ammunition can have severe consequences. So I directed that they fulfil all criteria. However, if they fail to meet these requirements, they will be released from training,” he said.
Watch a video of his remarks below:
“Sending military youth home after they have gone through about 1 year of training and have access to weapons is difficult” – Minister of Defence speaks about fraud in his sector#ghanaweb#ghanwebtv pic.twitter.com/HYJNLvQcEu
— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) July 21, 2025
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