Mahama: El-Wak Stampede Could Have Been Prevented

President John Dramani Mahama says the deadly stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium, where six people lost their lives and many others were injured, should never have occurred, insisting that better organisation and transparent recruitment procedures could have averted the tragedy.

Addressing the Christian Council of Ghana on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the President said the chaotic scenes at El-Wak were the direct result of unclear communication and poorly coordinated security service recruitment processes that left desperate young applicants confused and vulnerable.

According to him, what should have been a hopeful opportunity for thousands of unemployed Ghanaian youth quickly spiralled into disorder because applicants were not properly guided on timelines, venue arrangements, and screening procedures.

“The stampede at El-Wak was entirely preventable. There is no reason such a tragedy should have happened,” Mahama said.

He explained that, although recruitment exercises in several regions passed without major incidents, operations in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions were marred by overcrowding, injuries, and near-catastrophic episodes.

The President also criticised the decision to proceed with screening at El-Wak despite the venue having only two access points, an arrangement he said made it impossible to control the massive crowds safely.

“The exercise should have been halted immediately, and a new plan put in place. Two entrances for that number of applicants was simply inadequate,” he emphasised.

Mahama announced that government has since rolled out new safety measures to avoid a repeat of the incident. These include limiting the number of applicants processed each day, expanding the number of screening centres, and ensuring that communication around recruitment is clear, timely, and accessible to all.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to preventing any future tragedies during national recruitment exercises.