Ntim Fordjour slams MPs over proposal to raise military recruitment age limit
9th October 2025
The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has sharply criticised suggestions by some lawmakers to raise the upper age limit for recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), describing the proposal as “misconceived and misguided.”
His remarks follow calls by Minister for Communication, Digital Innovation and Technology, Sam George, and Majority Whip Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, who argued that the current age restriction on enlistment is too rigid.
The two MPs proposed that the upper limit be increased to 30 years or more, noting that many Ghanaians within that age bracket remain physically fit and mentally capable of serving their country.
In a strongly worded social media post, Rev. Ntim Fordjour accused the MPs of attempting to politicise the recruitment process of the Ghana Armed Forces, claiming their motive was to pave the way for partisan beneficiaries.
“Hon. Sam George and Hon. Dafeamekpor’s call for unqualified overage NDC foot soldiers into the military is a misconceived and misguided populist agenda,” he wrote.
“We will resist every attempt by the NDC to load their overage foot soldiers into the Ghana Armed Forces. The GAF is not a dumping ground for overage NDC foot soldiers.”
The Assin South MP — who previously served as a Deputy Minister of Education — cautioned that tampering with the military’s recruitment standards for political reasons would endanger professionalism, discipline, and national security.
He warned that the integrity of the Armed Forces must be protected from “undue interference and partisan manipulation.”
“It is extremely backward and dangerous to force unqualified people into the military as a reward for party patronage,” he added. “The Ghana Armed Forces’ ongoing recruitment process must be allowed to proceed credibly and independently, without political interference.”
Rev. Fordjour’s comments have sparked renewed debate over the balance between broadening access to public service and safeguarding merit-based recruitment in Ghana’s security institutions.