The Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has revealed that nearly half of army trainees currently undergoing military training may face withdrawal after an internal audit uncovered significant breaches in entry requirements.
Addressing the Government Accountability Series on Monday, July 21, Dr Boamah disclosed that an audit of 452 army trainees in the Ghana Armed Forces uncovered that 46% of them did not meet the eligibility criteria for enlistment.
The findings relate to the Regular Career Course 64 and 65, as well as the Short Service Commission Course 62 of the Ghana Army.
“Out of 452, 210 did not meet the eligibility test—representing 46%,” Dr Boamah said.
He further revealed that for Regular Career Course 64, currently in training, 34 recruits were found to have bypassed one or more critical stages of the enlistment process.
Despite the breaches, the Minister said the government has decided against immediately sending the affected trainees home due to the potential national security implications.
“It was difficult sending them home since they had been in training for almost one year. Releasing 34 well-trained, energetic youth who had endured military training in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous West Africa sub-region—where free-floating weapons and ammunition abound—can have severe consequences,” Dr Boamah explained.
Instead, the trainees have been directed to submit the necessary documentation or qualifications they initially failed to present.
“They have been directed to fulfil all criteria—that’s the 34,” he stated.
However, the Minister made it clear that those who fail to meet the requirements will be dismissed from the programme.
“If they fail to meet these requirements, they will be released from training,” he warned.
Dr Boamah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to upholding discipline, transparency, and meritocracy in the recruitment process of the security services. He stressed that the integrity of the Ghana Armed Forces must be preserved at all times.
“We are committed to ensuring that recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces remains credible and beyond reproach,” he concluded.
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