Chief of the Defence Staff (Ghana)

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the Ghana Armed Forces. He is thus responsible for the administration and the operational control and command of the Ghana military.^[1] The CDS is a member of the Armed Forces Council.^[2] This council advice the President of Ghana on matters of policy relating to defence and also regulates the administration of the Armed Forces. It also advises the President on the promotion of all officers above the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel or its equivalent.^[3]

Chief of the Defence Staff
Armed forces coat of arms
Incumbent General Thomas Oppong-Peprah since 1 February 2024
Ministry of Defence
Style	Sir
Abbreviation	CDS
Member of	the Defence Staff
Reports to	Minister of Defence
Residence	Burma Camp
Appointer	President of Ghana in consultation with the Council of State of Ghana
Constituting instrument	Ghana constitution - Article 214
Formation	1954
First holder	Alexander G. V. Paley
Website	Official website

The CDS is appointed by the President, in consultation with the Council of State of Ghana.^[4]

The current CDS is General Thomas Oppong-Peprah. He was appointed by President Akuffo-Addo in January 2024.

History of the post

The Ghana Army was formed after World War II out of the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force. The officer corps then was entirely European. It was modeled on the British Army. At independence in 1957, the highest ranking Ghanaian officer was a major.^[5] Major General A. G. V. Paley served as the General Officer Commanding the Ghana Regiment of Infantry which had succeeded the Gold Coast Regiment between 1957 and 1959. This position was effectively equivalent to Army commander as there was no Air Force or Navy.

The position of Chief of Defence Staff was first created in 1959 after the formation of the Ghana Navy and the Ghana Air Force. Major-General Henry Alexander was appointed as the first CDS though he effectively doubled as the Ghana Army commander as well. Since 1961, the position of army commander and CDS have been separate.^[6] The first native Ghanaian CDS was Major General S. J. A. Otu.^[7]

Chiefs of the Defence Staff (1954–present)

The former heads of the Ghana Armed Forces were referred to while in office as either General Officers Commanding or Chiefs of the Defence Staff.^[8]

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Defence Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch
1		Paley, AlexanderMajor General Alexander G. V. Paley (1903–1976)	1954	11 January 1960	5–6 years	Ghana Army
2		Alexander, Henry TemplerMajor General Henry Templer Alexander CB, CBE, DSO (1911–1977) [9]	11 January 1960	September 1961	1 year, 7 months	Ghana Army
3		Otu, StephenMajor General Stephen J. A. Otu[10] (1915–1979) (First Ghanaian to be appointed CDS)	September 1961	24 July 1965	3 years	Ghana Army
4		Aferi, NathanMajor General Nathan A. Aferi[10] (1923–2003)	24 July 1965	24 February 1966	7 months	Ghana Army
5		Kotoka, EmmanuelLieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (1926–1967)	24 February 1966	17 April 1967 †	1 year, 52 days	Ghana Army
6		Ankrah, JosephLieutenant General Joseph Arthur Ankrah (1915–1992)	17 April 1967	March 1968	10 months	Ghana Army
7		Otu, MichaelAir Marshal Michael Akuoko Otu OSG (1925–2006)	March 1968	November 1968	8 months	Ghana Air Force
8		Ocran, AlbertLieutenant General Albert Kwesi Ocran (1929–2019)	November 1968	November 1969	1 year	Ghana Army
(7)		Otu, MichaelAir Marshal Michael Akuoko Otu OSG (1925–2006)	November 1969	June 1971	1 year, 7 months	Ghana Air Force
9		Addo, DanielMajor General Daniel K. Addo	June 1971	January 1972	7 months	Ghana Army
10		Ashley-Lassen, NapoleonAir Vice-Marshal Napoleon Yaovi R. Ashley-Lassen (born 1934)	January 1972	December 1974	2 years, 11 months	Ghana Air Force
11		Okai, LawrenceMajor General Lawrence A. Okai (1934–2017)	December 1974	November 1976	1 year, 11 months	Ghana Army
12		Akuffo, FredLieutenant General Fred Akuffo (1937–1979)	November 1976	5 July 1978	1 year, 8 months	Ghana Army
13		Kotei, RobertMajor General Robert Kotei (1935–1979)	5 July 1978	23 July 1978	18 days	Ghana Army
14		Hamidu, JoshuaLieutenant General Joshua Hamidu (1936–2021)	23 July 1978	4 June 1979	316 days	Ghana Army
15		Prah, E.Colonel E. D. F. Prah	4 June 1979	7 July 1979	33 days	Ghana Army
16		Nunoo-Mensah, JosephBrigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (born 1939)	7 July 1979	27 November 1979	143 days	Ghana Army
17		Sam, EdwinMajor General Edwin Kwamina Sam (born 1940)	27 November 1979	6 December 1979	9 days	Ghana Army
18		Odaate-Barnor, JohnAir Vice-Marshal John E. Odaate-Barnor (1937–2012)	7 December 1979	31 December 1981	2 years, 24 days	Ghana Air Force
(16)		Nunoo-Mensah, JosephBrigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (born 1939)	1 January 1982	23 November 1982	326 days	Ghana Army
19		Rawlings, JerryFlight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings (1947–2020)	28 November 1982	25 August 1983	270 days	Ghana Air Force
20		Quainoo, ArnoldLieutenant General Arnold Quainoo	25 August 1983	22 September 1989	6 years, 28 days	Ghana Army
21		Mensa-Wood, WinstonLieutenant General Winston Mensa-Wood (1940–1992)	4 June 1990	21 March 1992	1 year, 291 days	Ghana Army
22		Dumashie, AchillesAir Marshal Achilles Harry Kwami Dumashie (1938–2002) [11]	22 March 1992	1 October 1996	4 years, 193 days	Ghana Air Force
23		Akafia, BenLieutenant General Ben K. Akafia (born 1940) [12]	1 October 1996	February 2001	4 years, 4 months	Ghana Army
24		Obeng, SethLieutenant General Seth Kofi Obeng (born 1945)	February 2001	28 February 2005	4 years	Ghana Army
25		Danquah, JosephLieutenant General Joseph Boateng Danquah (born 1947)	20 February 2005	28 January 2009	3 years, 343 days	Ghana Army
–		Nunoo, A.Rear Admiral A. R. S. Nunoo Acting	28 January 2009	31 March 2009	62 days	Ghana Navy
26		Blay, PeterLieutenant General Peter A. Blay [13]	31 March 2009	28 March 2013	3 years, 362 days	Ghana Army
27		Quashie, MatthewVice Admiral Matthew Quashie (1951–2020) [14]	28 March 2013	5 January 2016	2 years, 283 days	Ghana Navy
28		Samson-Oje, MichaelAir Marshal Michael Samson-Oje (born 1954)	5 January 2016	9 February 2017	1 year, 35 days	Ghana Air Force
29		Akwa, ObedLieutenant General Obed Akwa (born 1955) [15]	9 February 2017	5 February 2021	3 years, 362 days	Ghana Army
30		Amoama, SethVice Admiral Seth Amoama (born 1959)	5 February 2021	31 January 2024	4 years, 29 days	Ghana Navy
31		Oppong-Peprah, ThomasGeneral Thomas Oppong-Peprah	1 February 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 33 days	Ghana Army

See also

• Ghana Army
• Ghana Air Force
• Ghana Navy