Ghana: Recruitment criteria for the Ghanaian Armed Forces (age, preferred educational, professional or ethnic profiles, promotion, practice of rewarding individuals with positions in the army)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA32053.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Recruitment criteria for the Ghanaian Armed Forces (age, preferred educational, professional or ethnic profiles, promotion, practice of rewarding individuals with positions in the army), 1 June 1999, GHA32053.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aad68c.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to an official in the Defence section of the High Commission for the Republic of Ghana, in Washington, DC, general recruitment in the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF) is open to Ghanaian holders of a high school diploma, between 18 and 24 years of age, who are not less than 5 feet and 6 inches tall (14 June 1999). The official explained that all recruits are subject to security screening by the military council. Individuals with a history of physical and mental impairment and those who are "flat-footed" cannot serve in the Ghanaian military forces (ibid.)
The initial training period lasts six months after which recruits qualify to be private soldiers. They are then deployed into different departments of the military including the navy, airforce and army, where they are required to follow short training courses ranging from two to three months in basic drill and mortar weapons. After the end of the courses, trainees qualify to work as sergeants, platoon commanders, corporals (ibid.). The official stated that depending on availability of instructors, these courses are offered twice or three times a year and are limited to an intake of 25 soldiers. He also said that military personnel are sent to advanced courses overseas (ibid.).
The official explained that high positions in the army are awarded on the basis of seniority and meritorious service: the long service and good conduct medal is awarded to an officer with a distinguished and flawless record, who has been in the army for sixteen years. The medal of gallantry is awarded to an officer recommended by the Armed Forces Council (AFC) to the Service Commander for an act of gallantry. The peacekeeping medal is awarded to soldiers who have served in peacekeeping operations such as the ECOMOG, while the Order of the Volta Star is the medal that the Head of State, on the recommendation of the Armed Forces Council awards to a soldier in recognition of dedicated service. A Civil Division medal is awarded to a military officer who distinguishes himself during secondment to a department in the Civil Service. The official explained officers must serve for 15 years before they are entitled to receive a pension but 25 years of service is the maximum that anybody can serve in the military (ibid.).
This information could not be corroborated by sources consulted by the Research Directorate. For additional information on military service in Ghana, please consult Refusing to Bear Arms: A World Survey of Conscription and Conscientious Objection to Military Service pages 129-130, available at Regional Documentation Centres.
No reports of ethnic profiles of recruits nor on practices of rewarding individuals with positions in the army could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please see the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
High Commission for the Republic of Ghana, Washinton, DC. 14 June 1999. Telephone interview with the Defence section.
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential [London]. January 1997 -May 1999. Vols. 37-39. Weekly.
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series [Oxford]. 1997-1999 Vols. 34-35. Nos. 1-12.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997-1998. 1998-1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Press.
The Europa World Year Book 1998. 1998. 39th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.
Political Handbook of the World 1998. 1998. Edited by Arthur S. Banks. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.
War Resisters' International [London]. September 1998. Refusing to Bear Arms: A World Survey of Conscription and Conscientious Objection to Military Service.
Electronic sources: IRB databases, Internet, LEXIS/NEXIS, World Network Connection (WNC)
