, describing the calls as “misconceived and misguided populism.”){kind=link}
The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has sharply criticised proposals by some lawmakers to increase the age limit for recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), describing the calls as “misconceived and misguided populism.”
His comments follow suggestions by Minister for Communication, Digital Innovation and Technology, Sam George, and Majority Whip, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, that the age limit for military recruitment should be raised to 30 years or more. The MPs argued that the move would create more opportunities for Ghanaians and strengthen the GAF with “experienced and motivated recruits.”
However, Rev. Ntim Fordjour, a former Deputy Minister of Education, dismissed the proposal as a politically motivated attempt by members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to influence the Armed Forces’ recruitment process.
In a statement responding to the MPs’ comments, he accused the NDC of trying to “load their overage foot soldiers into the Ghana Armed Forces.”
“Hon. Sam George and Hon. Dafeamekpor’s call for unqualified overage NDC foot soldiers into the military is a misconceived and misguided populist agenda,” he wrote.
“We will resist every attempt by the NDC to load their overage foot soldiers into the Ghana Armed Forces. The Ghana Armed Forces is not a dumping ground for overage NDC foot soldiers.”
Rev. Fordjour cautioned against political interference in the recruitment and operational processes of the Armed Forces, stressing that attempts to alter established standards for partisan gain could undermine the institution’s discipline, professionalism, and integrity.
“NDC Cabinet Ministers and Parliamentary Leadership must be made to know that it is extremely backward and dangerous to force unqualified people into the military as a reward for party patronage,” he warned.
“Stop the undue interference in the credible and professional recruitment process underway by the Ghana Armed Forces.”