A stampede that occurred during the recruitment screening of the Ghana Armed Forces on Wednesday, November 12, led to the suspension of the process. The incident resulted in the deaths of six people; all females, and left about twenty-eight others injured.

Following this, the country’s defence service has announced Thursday, November 20, as the new date for the process. In a statement dated November 17, and signed by Acting Director General, Public Relations Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin, GAF explained that “...as part of measures to ensure a seamless process, the screening will be done at 8 sub-centres within the following 5 locations.

“El-Wak Stadium (two centres), Nicholson Park at Burma Camp (two centres), the Air Force Base at Burma Camp, TRADOC in Teshie (two centres), and the Eastern Naval Command in Tema.

All qualified applicants will receive an SMS informing them of their designated screening centres, reporting dates, and batch assignments, urging everyone to strictly adhere to the instructions.

“All qualified applicants in batches of 600 persons will each receive an SMS specifying their reporting dates, batches and designated centres. They are also encouraged to check on the recruitment portal for updates. Applicants are strongly advised to strictly adhere to these instructions”, parts of the statement read.

GAF has also given a helpline that will assist applicants who may face any challenges and require assistance in their recruitment process.

“Any qualified applicant who does not receive a text message by Thursday, 20 November 2025, should call the helpline on Mobile Number 0256405104 or WhatsApp on 0256405154 for assistance. Applicants can also verify from the recruitment portal”, it continued.

To prevent congestion and overcrowding at the centres, parents, guardians or relatives are advised to stay away from the centres.

“Families and friends are cautioned not to accompany potential recruits to the screening centres to reduce congestion. Non-applicants will not be allowed entry to any of the centres”.

GAF also announced a new recruitment team, including “Commodore F.A. Nyarko, Colonel F. Kusi-Darko, and Colonel G.B. Eduah, heading Human Resources, Manpower, and Information Technology, respectively.

“Meanwhile, the Board of Inquiry set up to investigate the circumstances leading to the stampede is in progress”, the statement added.

Captain Arhin assured the public that anyone found responsible will face sanctions. She extended sympathies to the bereaved families and confirmed that injured applicants will continue to receive free medical care at the 37 Military Hospital until fully recovered. A special recruitment package will also be provided to them and the affected families.

“The Ghana Armed Forces continues to count on the cooperation of the general public in this endeavour,” the statement concluded.

How did the stampede happened ?

It all started when thousands of Ghanaian youth, hoping to gain entry into the military, thronged the stadium in the early hours of Wednesday. However, even before the screening exercise could begin, the unfortunate happened when a surge of applicants breached security protocols and rushed toward the gates.

The uncontrolled crowd movement caused people to fall and be trampled, resulting in fatalities and multiple injuries.

In a swift response, the government set up a Board of Inquiry to probe the El-Wak Stadium stampede. The Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, chaired by Hon. James Agalga, has announced it will conduct its own probe into the incident.

Since the incident government has announced several changes in the recruitment process of the other internal security services (Ghana Police Service, GNFS, Prisons and Customs Service), which officially begins today. The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, during a media address on Friday, November 14, explained that a new system “will automatically allocate applicants to screening centres and time slots….If you apply from Tamale, for example, and there are three centres… the system will automatically assign you to one of them and indicate whether you are scheduled for the morning or afternoon session.”

According to him, the new recruitment system will be a centralised, fully digital e-recruitment portal. It is designed to harmonise hiring across all security agencies under the Ministry of the Interior, eliminate paper-based processes, and allow applicants to complete the entire recruitment process using their mobile phones, either via the short code given by their outfit or via the portal.

“The application process will be fully online, utilising a secure portal capable of handling large volumes of applications efficiently. The portal is user-friendly and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers,” he noted.

This comes to replace an old system where the recruitment process was manual and decentralised. Applicants had to physically choose or travel to screening centres themselves, often leading to overcrowding, long queues, and even dangerous stampedes. Assignments were not automated; instead, they were managed by human administrators, with candidates sometimes directed to centres based on availability or their own preference.

Meanwhile, applicants who suffered injuries from the El-Wak stampede remain hospitalised at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

President Mahama visited the victims on the day of the incident and shared on his official X handle (formerly Twitter) to express his condolences to the families of the applicants who lost their lives in the stampede.

“He said, “I visited the 37 military hospital this afternoon to check on our young men and women who were injured earlier this morning following a stampede at the Elwak Stadium recruitment centre, where thousands of potential military recruits had gathered for a selection exercise”.

Also, the Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, visited the victims on Saturday, November 15, accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Defence, Ernest Brogya Gyemfi, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General William Agyapong.

The Vice President spent time at the various wards, interacting with each of the injured and offering words of comfort. She assured them of the government's full support as they undergo treatment and recovery. Professor Opoku-Agyemang commended the medical personnel at the 37 Military Hospital for their swift intervention following the incident and the emergency staff for their professionalism and dedication.

“We are deeply grateful for the tireless work of the medical team. Their commitment at this very difficult moment has been truly commendable,” she said.

Earlier, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, donated GH¢100,000 to support the medical treatment of victims injured in the El-Wak Sports Stadium stampede.