Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has announced his intention to take legal action against the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) if it fails to review the maximum age requirement for enlistment.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 9, 2025, Mr. Dafeamekpor argued that the current age cap should be aligned with the National Youth Authority Act, 2016 (Act 939), which defines “youth” as individuals between the ages of 15 and 35. He insisted that medical fitness, not age, should be the key criterion for enlistment.
“I intend to test this matter because, you see, we need to test systems to let systems work. And when systems are supposed to work, they must work within the existing legal framework. We must all obey the law,” he said.
He added that the Armed Forces could maintain an age range consistent with the law, provided applicants meet the medical standards required for military service.
“I won’t have any problem if the armed forces say that the person between the ages of 15 years and 35 years is eligible to apply, but subject to a medical fitness test, because in a lot of countries, persons below 18 years are eligible to be recruited into the army, subject to parental consent,” he noted.
Mr. Dafeamekpor further warned that if the GAF fails to respond to the call for a review, he would seek redress through the courts.
“So this matter must be tested; if the army resists this call, it may leave me with no option but to seek a remedy in the judicial forum. Our army is constitutionally established and given effect to it under Article 102 by Parliament, and subsequently with legislation such as the National Youth Authority Act, which is the law that governs the youth bracket of this country, whether the army can continue to conduct its business without recourse to this laid down legislation,” he explained.
Earlier, in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, Mr. Dafeamekpor said several party supporters had expressed concern about the existing age limit.
He also shared comparative data showing that countries such as Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, and even the United States permit enlistment well into a person’s 30s or beyond.
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