Why tatoos, double piercing, bow legs, flat foot, knock legs will disqualify you from Ghana Armed Forces enlisting

• Posted on August 5, 2025August 5, 2025
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has been explaining several medical and physical conditions that disqualify applicants and serve as automatic disqualifications for applicants seeking enlistment in the military.

According to the Acting Director General of Public Relations, Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin, individuals with knock knees, bow legs, flat foot, double piercings, or tattoos are not eligible to join the Armed Forces.

She said these features negatively impede training and performance as military personnel.

“If you have knock legs, bow legs, flat foot, double piercing or tattoos, you do not qualify to join the Ghana Armed Forces,” she stated in a television interview with TV3. [Watch attached video below]

Explaining the rationale behind the policy, Captain Arhin said that such physical features may negatively affect training and operational performance, hence the medical-based disqualification.

“For instance, if you have flat foot, you cannot stand on parade for long hours. There are sensitive points under the feet, and a flat-footed person may collapse or pass out during training,” she said.

She emphasised that although other military institutions across the world may accept individuals with tattoos or piercings, GAF operates under its own established policies and medical standards.

“I believe every military has its set-down rules and policies, and these are the rules for the Ghana Armed Forces,” she said when she was asked why some other countries allow tattoos in the military.