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President John Mahama has directed that a sibling or relative of six young women who lost their lives during the security services recruitment exercise at El Wak Stadium in Accra be given the opportunity to join the services, provided they are medically and physically qualified.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, November 12, when the recruitment process in Accra faced severe logistical challenges due to overcrowding at the stadium, which has only two entrances. President Mahama described the situation as a tragedy that could have been avoided. He also noted issues in Ashanti region, where one female applicant was trampled and remains in critical but stable condition.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Christian Council of Ghana to Jubilee House, the President said the lack of opportunity and transparency in past recruitment exercises had made joining the security services a life-and-death matter for many young people.
“For many years, young people have wanted to join the security services, but at certain times, the recruitment was not transparent. You hear the portal is open, then nobody hears anything until people are already in camp training,” he said.
President Mahama said government had pledged during the campaign to make the recruitment process open and transparent, announcing qualification status through the portal and conducting regional recruitment simultaneously. He said the process worked fairly well in most regions, but Accra and Ashanti experienced major challenges.
In Accra, the President explained, it became clear that the venue was inadequate to accommodate the number of applicants. He said a suspension of the exercise would have been appropriate at the time, and corrective measures are now in place: five different centres have been designated, and applicants are being called in batches to manage numbers safely.
He said the incident disproportionately affected female applicants, noting that most of those injured and those who lost their lives were women. “Because of the pressure, the female body is not as robust as the male. Most of those injured were female. When I went to the ICU, most of those I saw there were female,” he said.
The President said a forensic review and lessons learned are underway. The military has instituted a board of inquiry, while personnel management officials in charge at the time have been relieved of their positions and replaced.
In the aftermath, President Mahama sent the Deputy Minister and a team to visit the families of the six young women who lost their lives. He emphasised that giving an opportunity to a sibling or relative who meets the qualifications would ensure that the ambition of joining the security services is not lost to the family.
