In his last press release as the Director General Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Eric Aggrey-Quarshie (GH/2622) of Regular Intake 33, tried unsuccessfully and controversially to use Major General Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey (GH/2230) to justify the release of all the two-star Generals of the Ghana Armed Forces perceived to be NPP members, sympathizers or “Appointees”.
In the said press release, Major General IN Aryeetey was reported to have said that the appointment of a junior Brigadier General with accelerated promotions from Brigadier General to Major General on 24th March 2025 and from Major General to Lieutenant General with effect from 1st May 2025 was consistent with the Ghana Armed Forces military tradition. The Press Release issued by Brigadier General Eric Aggrey-Quarshie went on as follows:
“The Commandant, National College of Defence Studies (NCDS), Major General Irvine Aryeetey, on behalf of the Generals present stated that, the current change in Ghana’s Military High Command structure, was nothing new but consistent with the history of the Ghana Armed Forces.
To buttress his point, Major General Aryeetey posited that as tradition demands, new intakes take over from their predecessors, citing Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa handing over as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to Vice Admiral (V/Adm) Seth Amoama who was 5 Intakes down the line (Intake 18 to 23).
Additionally, in the case of CDS Vice Admiral Seth Amoama and General T Oppong-Perprah, it was 3 intakes down the line – Intakes 23 and 26.
He concluded that the current CDS – Major General W Agyapong, which is four Intakes down the line, was consistent with GAF’s Military tradition”.
He then expressed gratitude to the CDS for inviting them to formally inform and honour them, which he said was a novelty.
The meeting concluded with a luncheon hosted by the CDS at his office and also attended by all of the GAF’s Service Chiefs and Chief of Staff, General Headquarters”.
We have serious concerns about the statement attributed to Major General IN Aryeetey (GH/2230) by Brigadier General E Aggrey-Quarshie. On the face of the statement, an uninformed cursory reader would accept the views alleged to have been expressed by Major General IN Aryeetey. The Intakes quoted in relation to the various Generals and their equivalents who took over from or handed over to their comrades / colleagues in the military are correct. But they need to be placed in their proper perspectives and contexts.
One needs to look at the pool of Generals or their equivalents in the Navy and Air Force available at the time, their ranks and appointments in order to come to a justifiable conclusion as attributed to Major General Aryeetey.
In the recent past, at least from the time that President John Kufour took office in January 2001 up to January 2025, when President John Mahama staged his third come-back as the President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, we have witnessed several appointments of Chiefs of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs but none has been as “catastrophic” and “Tsunami – laden” as the ones witnessed in March 2025.
The pieces of evidence to support this assertion are as follows:
- Under President JA Kufour in 2001
When President Kufour assumed power on 7th January 2001, the Military High Command was as follows:
- Chief of Defence Staff – Lieutenant General BK Akafia (GH/570)
- Chief of Army Staff – Lieutenant General JH Smith (GH/830)
- Chief of Naval Staff – Vice Adm EO Owusu –Ansah (GH/1066)
- Chief of Air Staff – Air Marshal JA Bruce (GH/678)
The Major Generals in GAF were the following:
- SK Obeng (GH/819) – Force Commander UNIFIL
- HK Anyidoho (GH/778) – GOC Northern Command
- FY Mahama (GH/982) – GOC Southern Command
There were twenty-five (25) Brigadier Generals and equivalents in the Army, Navy and Air Force.
President Kufour appointed the senior-most Major General Seth Kofi Obeng as the Chief of Defence Staff. General SK Obeng was of the same Intake as General JH Smith. General Obeng had been the Chief of Staff when General JH Smith, and the other Service Chiefs were appointed on 1st October 1996. It was only Air Marshal JA Bruce who had been appointed Chief of Air Staff on 5th June 1992 after Air Marshal AK Dumashie (GH/275) was promoted and appointed CDS to succeed General WM Mensah-Wood (GH/560).
It is true that General BK Akafia was of RCC Intake 4 while Generals SK Obeng and JH Smith were of Intake 7, thereby resulting in three Intakes down the line as suggested by Major General Aryeetey. But on the occasion, after the three star Generals were retired the mantle fell on the senior-most two star General, then Major General Seth Kofi Obeng.
Certainly that did not raise any issue as that was the right thing to do in line with military tradition. The Service Chiefs were appointed from a pool of the Brigadier Generals and equivalents as follows:
- Brigadier General CB Yaache (GH/1078) – COAS
- Commodore J. Gbenah (GH/1135) – CNS
- Air Commodore EA Mantey (GH/1227) – CAS
The remaining Brigadier Generals and equivalents were all maintained in their respective appointments until they reached their compulsory retiring ages.
A few of the Brigadier Generals who were given appointments commensurate with the ranks of Major Generals were duly promoted. They included then Brigadier General NC Coleman (GH/1079), who was appointed Commandant, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) and Commodore JY Adoko (GH/1069) who was appointed the Commandant Military Academy and Training School (MATS).
Then Colonel CH Mankatah (GH/1436) who had been the second-In Command to then Brigadier General CB Yaache, for over two years was made the Acting Commandant Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPC), confirmed and promoted Brigadier General later.
- Under President Kufour in 2005.
Most of the twenty-two remaining Brigadier Generals and their equivalents had reached their compulsory retiring ages and had been retired or were to start terminal leaves by March 2005.
Out of the remaining Brigadier Generals, Brigadier General JB Danquah (GH/ 1202) had become the seniormost. Brigadier General JB Danquah had been promoted Brigadier General on 5th January 2000 together with Brigadier Generals AB Donkor (GH/1112) – Legal, Judge Advocate General GHQ, DCK Kattah (GH/ 1081), F Adu-Amanfo (GH/1264) and Commodore SV Adatsi (GH/ 1291).
The following appointments were made in June 2005:
- CDS – Brigadier General JB Danquah – promoted Major General
- COAS – Brigadier General SA Odotei (GH/ 1368) – The Chief of Staff, GHQ – promoted Major General
- CNS – Commodore ARS Nuno (GH/1308) – FOC, ENC, Tema – promoted Rear Admiral.
- CAS – Air Commodore JO Boateng (GH/1680) – Chief Staff Officer, Airforce HQ, promoted Air Vice Marshal
- Commandant MATS – Brigadier General KA Abdulai (GH/1205) – promoted Major General.
- Commandant GAFCSC – Major General RE Baiden (GH/1260) after death of Major General George Aryiku (GH/1211).
- Commandant KAIPTC – Major General JK Attipoe (GH/ 1247).
Lieutenant General JB Danquah, Rear Admiral ARS Nuno, Major General G Aryiku, Major General KA Abdulai and Major General JK Attipoe were all members of Intake RCC 11.
Major General SA Adotei was of RCC 14 while Air Vice Marshal JO Boateng was of RCC 17 but was one of the senior-most Air Commodores at the time.
- Under President JEA Mills in 2009
At the time President John Mills took over power on 7th January 2009, after the removal/retirement of all the two-star Generals and above, then Brigadier General Peter Augustine Blay was the senior most. Then Brigadier General PA Blay (GH/1398) was recalled from Diplomatic duties as Ghana’s Defence Attache /Adviser to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and appointed the Chief of Defence Staff.
The Chief of Defence Staff at the time, Lieutenant General JB Danquah and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong had been retired by the President on Monday 26th January 2009 after former President Jerry John Rawlings had openly demanded the removal of all the Security Heads to the chagrin and frustration of Brigadier General Nunoo Mensah, then Security Adviser to President John Mills.
Rear Admiral ARS Nuno was appointed to act as the Chief of Defence Staff as additional appointment while Mrs. Mills Robertson was also appointed as the Acting IGP.
Thus in the military, the three Service Chiefs and the three Commandants of the Training Institutions (GAFCSC, MATS, KAIPTC) totaling six (6) Major Generals were retired in March 2009.
In their places were the following appointments:
- Chief of Defence Staff – Brigadier General PA Blay, promoted Major General on 31/03/09
- Chief of Naval Staff – Commodore Mathew Quashie (GH/1509) promoted Rear Admiral 31 / 03/ 09
- Chief Of Army Staff – Brigadier General JN Adinkrah (GH/1446) promoted Major General on 31 / 03/ 09
- Chief of Air Staff – Air Commodore M Samson –Oje (GH/1779) promoted Air Vice Marshal on 31 / 03/ 09
- Commandant GAFCSC – Brigadier General Kwesi Yankson (GH/1339) promoted Major General 31/03/09.
- Commandant MATS – Commodore Muhammed Munir Tahiru (GH/1435) promoted Rear Admiral on 31 / 03 /09.
- Commandant KAIPTC – Air Commodore Christian Edem Kobla Dovlo (GH / 1592) – promoted Air Vice Marshal on 31 / 03 /09.
- Commissioner Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) – Brigadier General Carl Setorwu Modey (GH/ 1434) was promoted Maj. Gen. on 31 / 03 /09.
- Chief of Staff – Commodore Geoffrey Mawuli Biekro (GH/1668) – appointed on 31 / 03 /09.
