Sam George, Dafeamekpor push for upward review of age-limit for military recruits, cite global trends

Communications Minister Sam Nartey George has renewed calls for Ghana to revise the age limit for enlistment into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

The proposal, made in a Facebook post, was supported by Rockson‑Nelson Dafeamekpor, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, who shared international examples of enlistment age limits from various countries.

The two government officials suggested that the current maximum should be increased to 35 years.

In his Facebook post, Mr George argued that many Ghanaians in their thirties remain physically fit and mentally ready to serve their nation.

He contends that denying them the opportunity purely because of age is unfair.

“I believe an upper limit of 35 years would serve our young people better. Let’s nurture their dreams and not kill it,” he wrote.

MP Dafeamekpor: Foot Soldiers Speak & Global Comparisons

Mr Dafeamekpor added that many party foot soldiers have raised concerns about how restrictive the current age policy is.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he presented findings on maximum enlistment ages in countries around the world, to illustrate what may be possible.

I have had many calls from our Party foot soldiers regarding the Army Recruitment & max age for prospective Applicants. They aren’t happy.

So I decided to look at some countries & their set standards in this matter.

These are my findings:

AFRICA:
1. Benin
Minimum: 21 for…

— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) October 8, 2025

Some highlights from his research:

• In Africa:
  • Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo allow enlistment up to 35 years.
  • Kenya’s limit varies by role, reaching up to 39 years for certain positions.
  • Tanzania is an outlier with maximums as high as 62 years.
• In Europe:
  • The UK limits height with role; for example, regular soldiers may enlist up to around 36 years, reservists up to 42.
  • Germany’s maximum general enlistment age is reported at 50 years.
• North America, Asia & Oceania also show a wide range, with countries such as Australia allowing much older maximum enlistment ages in some categories.

Dafeamekpor noted that Ghana could safely raise its cap to 35 years or even 40 years, especially for medically fit individuals or roles that are non‑combatant.

Current Age Limit by GAF

Official recruitment guidelines for GAF as of the 2025 enlistment exercise set the maximum age as follows:

• Not more than 25 years for non‑tradesmen.
• Not more than 27 years for tradesmen.

Applicants must also fulfil other criteria: be Ghanaian by birth, unmarried, medically fit by GAF’s standards, and meet educational requirements, including BECE and WASSCE credits.

Meanwhile, GAF has announced that the 2025 enlistment and recruitment exercise is set to commence soon across all 16 regional capitals of the country.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.