GAF’s revamped screening restores calm at El-Wak after deadly stampede

The Ghana Armed Forces’ redesigned recruitment screening at El-Wak Sports Stadium has been praised by Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee for restoring order and improving applicant safety.

Committee Chair James Agalga, who toured the Accra centre with other members, said the new arrangements demonstrate a clear commitment to preventing a repeat of last week’s tragedy, where six people died and several others were injured in a stampede at the same venue.

Agalga noted that the military has decentralised the assessment process to eliminate congestion.

“They have now formed quite a number of centres and teams to simultaneously assess the eligibility of applicants interested in joining the armed forces,” he said. “We’ve seen for ourselves that doctors are at work, and the teams responsible for documentation are also functioning simultaneously.”

Reporters on-site recorded a calm and controlled atmosphere throughout the facility, with military personnel directing movements to avoid crowd buildup.

About 1,600 shortlisted applicants were being processed under close monitoring, a significant contrast to the chaotic scenes witnessed days earlier.

Agalga said the committee intends to extend its oversight to other screening centres across the country to ensure the improved system is applied uniformly.

According to him, the Defence and Interior Committee wants the new measures formally adopted across future recruitment exercises.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to have a meeting with the CDS and his team. Definitely what they have ruled out, which impresses us, we would want them to codify that into a guiding instrument for future operations,” he stated.

He stressed that the committee’s priority is ensuring that recruitment processes are not only efficient but also safe for applicants who often travel long distances with high expectations of joining the military.

The Ghana Armed Forces has assured applicants and the broader public that the revised approach is anchored on transparency, safety, and efficiency, emphasising that lessons from the recent tragedy have informed every stage of the redesign.

Officers at the stadium expressed confidence that the new system will prevent overcrowding, speed up verification, and provide a more respectful experience for prospective recruits.