President John Dramani Mahama has described the recent El-Wak stampede, which claimed six lives and injured several others, as avoidable, emphasising the need for better planning and transparency in recruitment into the security services.
He highlighted that the lack of opportunities and transparency in security service recruitment had turned what should be a life-changing chance for many young people into a life-and-death situation.
He made the remarks on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, while addressing delegates of the Christian Council of Ghana during a courtesy call.
“The El-Wak tragedy was avoidable. It just shouldn’t have happened,” President Mahama said.
“Many young people have wanted to join the security services for years, but recruitment processes were often opaque. You hear the portal is open, then nothing happens, and suddenly people are in camp training,” the President explained.
President Mahama noted that his administration had promised during the campaign to make recruitment more transparent and equitable.
“We committed to announcing dates in advance, ensuring candidates meet basic qualifications, and holding regional recruitment exercises simultaneously. In most regions, this worked fairly well. But in Ashanti and Greater Accra, we faced problems,” he said.
He recounted that in the Ashanti region, one female candidate was trampled and remains in critical but stable condition.
In Greater Accra, however, the situation was far more serious.
“A venue like El-Wak, with only two entrances, was inadequate for the number of applicants. By morning, it was clear the venue could not handle the crowd. The exercise should have been suspended and the plan reviewed,” the President stated.
Meanwhile, authorities have rolled out a new plan to cap the number of applicants visiting screening centres daily.
Additionally, there will be multiple venues to prevent crowding and any eventualities that could lead to stampedes.