Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has urged an urgent overhaul of Ghana’s public sector and security services recruitment system following the tragic stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra that left six people dead and several others injured.
The Speaker made the call after visiting survivors of the incident at the 37 Military Hospital, where five victims remain in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 12 others are being treated for various injuries.
Expressing deep sorrow over the tragedy, Mr. Bagbin described the stampede as “avoidable and unacceptable,” blaming it on lapses in crowd control and poor organisation during the recruitment exercise.
“This tragedy should never have happened,” he said. “It reflects deeper structural weaknesses in our recruitment and employment systems. We must rethink and reform the entire process—not just for the military, but across the public sector.”
According to the Speaker, the current system of physical mass recruitment drives—where thousands of job seekers converge at limited venues—poses serious safety risks, especially given the high unemployment rate among the youth.
He called on the Ministries of Defence, Interior, and Employment, as well as the Civil Service and Public Services Commissions, to collaborate in developing a modern, transparent, and technology-driven recruitment model that prioritises safety and fairness.
“This is not the responsibility of one institution alone. It is a collective national duty. We must act now to protect lives and restore trust in our public institutions,” he emphasised.
The Speaker also commended medical staff at the 37 Military Hospital for their swift response and urged the government to ensure that victims and their families receive the necessary support.
The El-Wak tragedy, which occurred on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, has sparked widespread public outrage and renewed calls for accountability and reform within Ghana’s recruitment processes for the Armed Forces, Police Service, and other state agencies.
Security analysts and civil society groups have since joined calls for a complete digitalisation of recruitment systems, arguing that manual and physical screenings expose applicants to unnecessary danger and administrative inefficiency.
For Speaker Bagbin, the incident is a “national wake-up call”—one that must compel a rethink of how the state manages opportunities for its citizens.
