The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Honorable Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has backed the calls for the appointment of a substantive minister for the Ministry of Defense, in light of the tragic incident at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra.
Rt. Hon. Bagbin emphasized the need for a substantive Minister for Defense, stating that it was not as a result of the inability of the Acting Minister for Defense, Hon. Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, but out of recognition for the pressure already on him as Minister for Finance.
Chairing the proceedings of parliament while the matter was being discussed after the acting minister for defense had briefed the house on what transpired at the El-Wak Sports Stadium, which had been designated as the center for the Ghana Armed Forces recruitment in the Greater Accra Region, the Rt. Hon. Bagbin did not hesitate to throw his support behind the calls by some members of the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament, as well as some actors within civil society, for the appointment of a substantive Minister for Defense.
“Even though some measures have been taken, I will direct our committee to follow up on the process and then also emphasize what others have said for us to expedite the process of appointing a substantive minister. It’s not because the current minister is not capable, but we know the pressures on him.”
Rt. Honorable Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Speaker of Ghana’s Ninth Parliament
On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, potential recruits to the Ghana Armed Forces had gathered in front of the El-Wak Sports Stadium, the center designated for the recruitment exercise in the Greater Accra, as this year’s recruitment has been decentralized to take place simultaneously in all sixteen regions of the country.
However, the Ghana Armed Forces reported that before the commencement of the process, an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the stadium ahead of the scheduled time for the screening exercise as part of the recruitment process triggered a tragic stampede that led to the death of some applicants and injuries to several others.
The Acting Minister for Defense, in his statement on the floor of parliament, reported that “there were 34 persons who were direct casualties—some of whom are not potential recruits: 6 persons have been confirmed dead, 5 are critical and in ICU, 12 are fairly critical, and the rest are stable and under observation.”
In light of this unfortunate development, calls have intensified for the appointment of a substantive Minister for Defense, with Rt. Hon. Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, stating that there is the need for “us to expedite the process of appointing a substantive Minister [for Defense].”
Ranking Member on the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Assin South, Hon. John Ntim Fordjour, has persistently made this call for a substantive Defense Minister since the tragic departure of the former Defense Minister, Hon. Eward Kofi Omane Boamah, through the August 6 helicopter crash.
He had cited the growing incidences of insecurity with the upsurge in illegal mining, and at places such as Gbenyiri, Sampa, and Bawku, all in the North, where citizens had fled to neighboring countries as refugees due to tribal conflicts and land disputes, emphasizing that the continued inaction with regard to the appointment of a substantive defense minister was “a dangerous gamble and reckless potential compromise of our territorial integrity.”
Rt. Hon. Bagbin’s backing of this call may finally cause His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to act.
Call for Reforms
The Speaker of Parliament also weighed in on the calls for reforms to the Ghana Armed Forces enlistment and recruitment processes, querying the inability of the country to make use of the proposals Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have made regarding the Armed Forces recruitment processes reforms.
“What prevents this country from having a continuous recruitment or enlistment process? We don’t have to wait and do it once every year, or sometimes two years, so that you can accumulate so many people and they have to rush to try and get recognition.”
Rt. Honorable Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Speaker of Ghana’s Ninth Parliament
As the Armed Forces announced the constitution of a Board of Inquiry to investigate the tragic incident, the Speaker also directed the Interior and Defense Committee of Parliament to carry out investigations into the unfortunate incident.
Rt. Hon. Bagbin therefore emphasized that inasmuch as the anticipated recommendations from the Ghana Armed Forces Board of Inquiry and the Interior and Defense Committee of Parliament are expected to guide the recruitment processes reforms, already proposed reforms, backed by research from Civil Society Organizations must be considered for a comprehensive solution to the current challenges facing the Armed Forces recruitment processes.
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