Dafeamekpor threatens legal action over military age limit
Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has announced his intention to take legal action against the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) if it fails to revise its maximum age requirement for enlistment.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 9, 2025, Mr. Dafeamekpor argued that the current age cap is inconsistent with the National Youth Authority Act, 2016 (Act 939), which defines “youth” as individuals aged between 15 and 35. He contended that eligibility for enlistment should be based primarily on medical fitness, not age.
“I intend to test this matter because, you see, we need to test systems to let systems work. And when systems are supposed to work, they must work within the existing legal framework. We must all obey the law,” he said.
Mr. Dafeamekpor stated that he has no objection to age limits, provided they align with the law and are subject to health assessments.
“I won’t have any problem if the armed forces say that the person between the ages of 15 years and 35 years is eligible to apply, but subject to a medical fitness test, because in a lot of countries, persons below 18 years are eligible to be recruited into the army, subject to parental consent,” he noted.
The MP warned that if the GAF fails to review the policy, he would be compelled to seek judicial redress.
“So this matter must be tested; if the army resists this call, it may leave me with no option but to seek a remedy in the judicial forum. Our army is constitutionally established and given effect to it under Article 102 by Parliament, and subsequently with legislation such as the National Youth Authority Act, which is the law that governs the youth bracket of this country, whether the army can continue to conduct its business without recourse to this laid down legislation,” he explained.
In an earlier post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Mr. Dafeamekpor revealed that several party supporters had raised concerns about the existing age limit for recruitment.
He also shared examples from other countries, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, and the United States, where military enlistment is permitted well into individuals’ 30s or beyond.
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