The Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has called for a review of the maximum age limit for enlistment into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), saying the current standard may be unnecessarily restrictive.

In a social media post, the legislator revealed that he had received numerous complaints from party foot soldiers and other young Ghanaians who felt disadvantaged by the existing age ceiling for military recruitment. This prompted him to conduct a comparative review of enlistment age limits in several countries across Africa and beyond.

According to his findings, many nations set significantly higher upper-age thresholds for military recruitment than Ghana. For instance, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo allow enlistment up to 35 years, while Tanzania extends the limit to 62 years.

In Nigeria, depending on the role, candidates can be accepted up to 35 years, while in South Africa, candidates can be accepted up to 26 years for graduates.

Outside Africa, Australia sets a maximum of 56 years, Germany allows enlistment up to 50 years, and in the United States, the limit ranges from 35 to 42 years, depending on the service branch.

Based on these comparisons, Hon. Dafeamekpor argued that Ghana could consider extending its upper limit to 35 or even 40 years, provided applicants meet medical and physical fitness standards, especially for non-combatant or technical roles.

“We need new ways of doing things, if other countries are expanding opportunities based on fitness and expertise, Ghana can do the same to tap into a wider pool of qualified and motivated citizens.” He stated.

The MP’s suggestion has sparked debate on social mesia, some of whom agree that revising the recruitment criteria could help reduce unemployment while ensuring the Armed Forces attract diverse skills and experience.

The post Dafeamekpor calls for review of Army recruitment age limit appeared first on The Herald ghana.

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