The South Dayi Member of Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has called for a review of the maximum age limit for recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces, arguing that the current policy is too restrictive compared to global standards.
In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, the lawmaker said he had received numerous complaints from party foot soldiers and concerned citizens over the age restrictions for prospective applicants seeking to join the Ghana Army.
“I have had many calls from our party foot soldiers regarding the Army recruitment and the maximum age for prospective applicants. They aren’t happy,” he wrote.
To address these concerns, Mr. Dafeamekpor said he conducted a comparative review of military recruitment age requirements across several African, Asian, European, and American countries. His findings showed that many nations allow enlistment well beyond Ghana’s current upper age limit.
For instance, he noted that countries such as Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo have a maximum age limit of 35 years, while Tanzania allows enlistment up to 62 years. In Europe, Germany’s upper age limit is 50 years, while France and the United Kingdom allow enlistment up to 39 and 42 years, respectively. In North America, the United States and Canada also have relatively higher limits, depending on the branch of service and career path.
Based on these comparisons, the South Dayi MP suggested that Ghana should consider extending the maximum age for enlistment to between 35 and 40 years, particularly for non-combatant and medically fit applicants.
“In Ghana, we can extend our age limit to say 35 or even 40 years depending on the medical fitness and non-combatant roles. We need new ways of doing things,” he emphasized.
