The Ministry of Defence has announced the cancellation of a recent intake into the Ghana Military Academy after discovering that nearly half of the selected candidates failed to meet eligibility requirements.
Addressing the press during the Government Accountability Series on Monday, July 21, 2025, Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, disclosed that an audit conducted on Regular Career Courses 64 and 65, as well as Short Service Course 62, revealed glaring irregularities.
“Out of 452 candidates audited, 210—representing about 46 percent—were found to be unqualified,” he revealed.
Dr. Boamah explained that while 34 of the unqualified individuals had already begun training under Course 64, they have been asked to fulfill all outstanding enlistment requirements or face removal from the programme.
“For Course 65 and Short Service Course 62, where training had not yet commenced, all affected candidates have been completely withdrawn,” he added.
The Minister also pointed to a troubling backlog of recruits dating back to October 2021.
“Some 2,872 non-officer recruits who completed documentation, medicals, and vetting are still at home.
The Army Recruits Training School, which can train up to 1,500 recruits every six months, has not conducted a single intake in the past 17 months,” he said.
He noted that due to the prolonged delay, many of those recruits may no longer meet the age, medical, or fitness requirements. “That entire intake has been cancelled,” he confirmed.
To restore integrity and transparency in the recruitment process, the Ministry is set to launch a new nationwide enlistment exercise in August 2025.
“We will introduce a digital enlistment and recruitment portal to streamline the vetting process and eliminate fraud,” Dr. Boamah announced.
He issued a strong warning to the public: “Do not pay anyone to assist you in joining the Ghana Armed Forces. Under President Mahama, recruitment will be based solely on merit, not money.”
He further urged citizens to report any suspicious recruitment schemes or fraud attempts to the appropriate authorities.
