MONROVIA — A civil society organization, the Liberia Labor and Governance Alliance, is calling on the Ministry of National Defense and the high command of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) to review and reform the country's military recruitment requirements.
Speaking at a press conference in Congo Town over the weekend, the Executive Director of the alliance, George Temgbeh, urged authorities to remove what he described as barriers preventing many passionate young Liberians from fulfilling their dreams of serving in the military.
Temgbeh stressed that the current recruitment conditions are discouraging applicants and could lead to fewer young people applying to join the AFL.
According to him, many youths have the desire and determination to serve their country, but existing academic and documentation requirements are making the process difficult.
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The alliance noted that the AFL's estimated strength of about 2,000 personnel is small compared to neighboring countries such as Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and Ghana.
Temgbeh specifically criticized the requirement for applicants to present a physical WASSCE/WAEC certificate, arguing that many recent high school graduates have their results available online but have not yet received their certificates.
He called on the government to accept verified online WASSCE results as valid proof of completion until physical certificates are issued.
"Some of the requirements for joining the military should be reconsidered," Temgbeh said. "There is a clear need to review and revise certain conditions to make the process more inclusive and practical."
He further stated that allowing either a WASSCE certificate or verified online results would ease the burden on many qualified applicants.
Currently, AFL enlistment requirements include a high school certificate, police clearance, national identification card or Liberian passport, a clean human rights record, and physical fitness.
Recently, a member of the House of Representatives petitioned plenary to amend the academic qualification for enlistment into the AFL, proposing that the requirement be reduced to the ninth grade to allow more young people the chance to serve the nation.
