The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) will begin a nationwide pre-recruitment drive beginning Monday, November 22.
The exercise which is expected to end on Monday, December 13, 2021, is said to be targeting 350 persons in two phases.
The first pre-recruits of 175 are targeted at only female candidates residing in Montserrado County.
The nationwide recruitment is a 3-year program to augment the strength of the army which could have been reduced as a result of deaths, abandonment of duties or otherwise.
The Assistant Minister for Public Affairs at the Ministry of National Defense, Sam Collins, told the media yesterday in Monrovia that the pre- recruitment exercise has been divided into four geographical regions nationwide.
He said the central region includes Montserrado, Grand Bassa and Margibi Counties with the recruitment center being the Barclay Training Center (BTC) in Monrovia.
The western region includes Grand Cape Mount, Gbarpolu and Bomi Counties as the recruitment center is Tubmanburg; and the northern region being Lofa, Bong and Nimba Counties as the recruitment center is the Gbarnga Sports Stadium.
For the southeastern belt, which includes Grand Gedeh, Rivergee, Maryland, Grand Kru, Rivercess and Sinoe Counties the recruitment center is at the Zwedru Multilateral High School campus.
Collins said the pre-exercise takes into consideration professionals like medical practitioners, engineers of all categories, lawyers and maritime, agriculturists, information technology specialists, musicians and morticians.
Criteria for eligibility is that one must be a Liberian citizen, a high school graduate or an equivalent of vocational education from an accredited vocational institution or have a first degree and above.
Other requirements include one being fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or covid19 virus and between the ages of 18 and 35, while professionals shall be at most 40 years of age and should have been cleared of any human rights abuses or violations.
Also, applicant(s) must provide proof of citizenship like voter registration identification card, passport, and that of the national identification card.
“We want to caution interested applicants not to pay money, exchange goods and services or whatever for recruitment to anyone. Participation in the training is voluntary and free, just meet the requirements as considered,” he noted.
Collins stated among many things that interested applicants or candidates should consider joining the military as “service to country” because there are lots of opportunities and not salary as it has been perceived.
He vowed that there will neither be any compromise nor solicitation into the recruitment exercise no matter who you are and /or wherever you might have come from, be it recommendation or not.
On the cost attached, he said though the government has made available US$1 million to jump start the project but entirely it costs US$5.7 million and it takes into consideration renovation of AFL’s structures across the country.
“The issues of infrastructures have been the cause of the delay in the recruitment exercise but that is of the past for now as everything is on course including the renovation,” Collins said.