The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has begun its three-day Documentation and Body Selection Exercise for qualified applicants under the 2026/2027 Enlistment Exercise, with the process appearing significantly more organised following the deadly stampede that marred last year’s recruitment exercise.
The exercise, which began today, Monday, September 28, will run until Wednesday, September 30, at designated centres in the Northern and Southern sectors.
It marks the next stage of the enlistment process following the closure of the online application portal on September 23, 2026.
According to the Deputy Director Community Relations at the Department of Public Relations, Rita Anane, under the new arrangement, applicants who have successfully progressed to the documentation and body selection stage are being notified directly by text message. The messages contain information on their designated centres, reporting dates and other instructions.
She added that GAF has directed applicants to report only to their assigned centres and to strictly comply with the instructions contained in their notifications.
For the Northern Sector, the exercise is being held at the 4 Infantry Battalion, Uaddara Barracks, Kumasi, while applicants assigned to the Southern Sector are reporting to designated facilities in Accra.
The latest exercise comes almost a year after tragedy struck the GAF recruitment process at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra.
Five screening centres were activated to spread applicants across different locations and reduce congestion. The GAF subsequently reported that the process was proceeding smoothly at the five centres.
At the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) centre in Teshie, for example, access to the facility was controlled, with only applicants who had received official SMS notifications allowed to enter. Applicants were also organised according to their assigned batches, while military personnel supervised the movement of candidates through the various stages.
A dedicated medical team was also stationed at the centre, alongside officers responsible for document verification and physical assessment.
The GAF also spread the process over different days and batches rather than allowing large numbers of applicants to converge at a single point at the same time.
That approach was again reflected in the subsequent recruitment process, with the Armed Forces using scheduled reporting arrangements to manage the number of applicants appearing at screening centres at any given time.
The measures appear to have brought greater order to the recruitment process.
During the 2025 screening exercise, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, visited recruitment centres and thanked applicants for adhering to the directives and safety measures introduced by the military. The Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior, which also toured some of the centres, described the process as orderly and tranquil.
The GAF has also continued to emphasise strict adherence to recruitment instructions.
For the 2026/2027 exercise, applicants have been specifically instructed to take note of their assigned dates and venues and to follow only the instructions communicated through official channels.
The changes come as the Armed Forces seeks to prevent a repeat of the circumstances that led to last year’s tragedy, while ensuring that large numbers of young people can progress through the enlistment process safely.
The recruitment process has since become more structured, with documentation and body selection forming only one stage of a broader assessment process that includes aptitude testing, medical screening and vetting.
In the 2025/2026 exercise, the GAF later issued appointment letters to 2,000 successful applicants after they progressed through the various stages of recruitment. The letters were distributed across all 16 regional capitals, another decentralised approach intended to reduce congestion, travel and logistical challenges.
For the 2026/2027 intake, the immediate focus is now on completing documentation and body selection without compromising the safety of applicants.
The GAF is urging qualified applicants to rely on official notifications, report at the specified times and venues, and comply with instructions from personnel at the screening centres.
The emphasis on scheduled reporting, controlled access, decentralised screening and closer supervision represents a significant shift from the circumstances surrounding the 2025 exercise and is aimed at ensuring that the recruitment process proceeds in a safe and orderly manner.
By Joseph Armstong Gold-Alorgbey
