The government has announced that each of the six families whose members died in the recruitment-day stampede will have the opportunity to nominate a qualified relative to take up a slot in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The directive came from President John Dramani Mahama and was conveyed by Deputy Defence Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi during visits to bereaved families.
“We stand with you at this time of unimaginable loss,” Genfi told one family in the Central Region. “The President has asked us to inform you that the state will bear the cost of burial and support those injured, and that the family of each person who died will be allowed to present a replacement for recruitment into the Armed Forces.”
Further, Mr. Genfi stated: “Recruitment in Accra remains suspended for now, while we put new safety measures in place. Meanwhile, you will be contacted to identify who, in your family, is eligible to wear the uniform and serve in honour of the one we lost.”
According to official statements, the process will require the family to “present a qualified relative” rather than automatic enrolment – meaning the nominee must meet standard recruitment eligibility criteria (age, physical fitness, educational qualifications, etc.).
Families were visited by the delegation, including regional and municipal officials, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, and youth-authority representatives.
The government has emphasised that victims are “our children and belong to the state,” and pledged full financial support for funeral arrangements as part of expressions of national condolences.
But some aspects of the initiative remain unclear. While the offer of a recruitment slot has been communicated, the exact mechanism (how many slots, the timeline, how the nominated relative will be processed) has yet to be officially published by GAF. It also remains to be seen whether the slot will be an automatic enlistment or if the nominee must undergo the same competitive screening as other applicants.
Experts and civil-society actors have offered mixed reactions. In one reaction, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference called it “an appropriate gesture of solidarity” but cautioned that it must not be used to bypass merit-based recruitment standards.
Similarly, some youth-rights groups said the move “cannot substitute for full reform” of recruitment processes that allowed the tragedy to occur.
One youth-advocate said: “It is good that the families are recognised, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the stampede exposed deeper faults in crowd-management and institutional planning.”
As GAF completes its internal investigation, the recruitment exercise for the Accra zone remains suspended.
Meanwhile, multiple screening centres for other regions will be re-examined and possibly re-designed to avoid repeat catastrophes. Officials say that the allocation of slots to the families will proceed in parallel with system-wide reforms.
