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Ghana MILITARY MANPOWER, TRAINING, AND MORALE
Manpower
There is a two-year national service requirement for male
Ghanaians, but military manpower levels have always been maintained
by voluntary enlistment. A limited number of women also serve in
the armed forces, but all women are found in administrative
positions, not in operational units. In mid-1988 the Ghanaian
government enacted a law requiring all national service personnel
to undergo a six-month military training program that stresses
drilling, weapons handling, physical fitness, and first aid.
The armed forces offer commissions to individuals from civilian
life or to those who complete cadet training. The term of service
usually is five years with reserve obligations thereafter. Most
technical services officers are selected from civilian life on the
basis of professional qualifications. Recruits for combat or combat
support branches are required to complete two years of cadet
training before receiving their commissions.
Enlisted personnel are recruited for particular service
branches to satisfy specific needs. Enlistments last up to twelve
years with various active- and reserve-duty options. Reenlistments
are authorized for a total of eighteen years; unit commanders are
empowered to extend this term of service on a case-by-case basis.
Enlisted recruits for the technical services are required to
possess at least a middle school or junior secondary school
education. All personnel must pass a physical examination and be at
least eighteen years old.
Data as of November 1994
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