A retired Major of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Professor Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, is cautioning against the politicisation of recruitment into the security services, saying it poses a serious risk to national security.
He says security recruitment should not be traded on the alter of political expediency, stressing the possible ramifications the nation stands to suffer, should the practice be allowed to fester.
Speaking on the sidelines of a transformation conference in Kumasi on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, he stressed that recruitment into security services should be left to the appropriate authorities with the expertise to ensure fairness and professionalism.
“Recruitment is made by soldiers and not politicians,” he stated.
The two-day conference, hosted by Godfred Andoh of St. Georgina Health Care and Consultancy, focused on addressing educational inequalities and strengthening national development.
Professor Yinkah Sarfo highlighted the impact of increasing involvement of politicians through protocol arrangements which is compromising standards and allowing unqualified individuals into the system.
He admonished the politicians to stay off security services recruitment and allow the institutions to function on their own.
“We plead with you to allow the Navy, Army, Air Force which constitute the Ghana Armed Forces to [do their own recruitment].”
He also condemned the recent decision by the government to increase the age for recruitment into the services, saying the upward adjustment of the age limit will not help the security services.
“I even heard recently that they want to change the age group. Admitting a 35-year-old into the military, such persons will be easily exhausted when they train,” he stated, adding that “the Minister of Interior should recuse himself from all security services recruitment.”
He emphasised that recruitment processes should be publicly advertised to allow all eligible citizens to apply, as was previously the practice. This, he noted, would help prevent the security forces from being filled with party loyalists, ensuring a more balanced and impartial service.
“If it’s immigration, police, fire service, it should be advertised in the papers so interested people will apply. We should leave everything to them. They know the law. The politicians should stay away else there will come a time where the country’s security services will be full of politicians, only NPP and NDC,” he warned.
The Interior Ministry has revealed that 506,618 young people applied for the various security services, with 105,000 passing the aptitude test. However, only 5,000 will be absorbed this year.
With over 100,000 applicants vying for just 5,000 slots, many have alleged that the process has been marred by unfairness, with some claiming party loyalists are being given preferential treatment.
The recruitment process has also been criticised for its use of an AI-driven platform to test the applicants’ aptitude, with some applicants complaining of “foreign questions” that bear no relevance to the security services.
Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, demanded the suspension of the exercise, citing concerns over the lack of transparency in the procedures and questionable assessment methods.
Following the debates, President John Dramani Mahama has directed a 100 per cent increment in the numbers, saying the 20,000 recruits within the next four years should be increased to 40,000.
President Mahama directs increase in security recruitment numbers from 20,000 to 40,000
With additional files from Kwame Baffoe Agyekum
