Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

Albert Kwesi Ocran (21 July 1929 – March 2019) was a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' deri ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. He was a member of the Presidential Commission of Ghana between 1969 and 1970. He is a former Chief of the Defence Staff of the

Ghana Armed Forces The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is the unified armed force of Ghana, consisting of the Army (GA), Navy (GN), and Ghana Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces is the president of Ghana, who is also the supreme military comman ...

and was a member of the National Liberation Council (NLC) military government in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

Career

Ocran was commissioned as an officer in the Gold Coast Regiment of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

's Royal West African Frontier Force in 1954. He later rose to become a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

in the Ghana army after independence. He was the commander of the First Infantry Brigade of the army now known as the Southern Command at the time of the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

of 1966. He was promoted to

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

following the coup and made Chief of Army Staff, a position he held for six months. He was reappointed Chief of Army Staff in May 1967. He was promoted to the position of Chief of the Defence Staff in November 1968 and continued as such until November 1969.

Politics

The then Colonel Ocran came into national prominence with his involvement in the first

in Ghana. This led to the overthrow of the

Convention People's Party The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Convention (UG ...

(CPP) government of Dr.

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An ...

on 24 February 1966. After the coup, he was one of the eight members of the National Liberation Council (NLC), which replaced the

Nkrumah government Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first Prime Minister and first President of Ghana. Nkrumah had run governments under the supervision of the British government through Charles Arden-Clarke, the Governor-General. His first government under colonial r ...

. He was promoted to Brigadier as well as becoming a member of the new NLC military government. After the parliamentary election of 1969, Ocran became one of three members of an interim Presidential Commission which ushered in the second republic. The other members were John Willie Kofi Harlley, the

Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service The Inspector General of Police (IGP) is the most senior Police Officer in Ghana. The IGP is appointed by the President of Ghana acting in consultation with the Council of State. The IGP is the head of the Police service and is responsible for the ...

and Lt. Gen. Akwasi Afrifa who was the chairman. He remained on the commission till it was dissolved in August 1970. The commission was replaced by an interim ceremonial president, Nii Amaa Ollennu.

Life after politics

Ocran became the president of the Veterans Association of Ghana. He is also one of the people honoured by president John Kufuor in 2006.

Publications

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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ocran, Albert Kwesi 1929 births 2019 deaths Ghanaian soldiers Defence ministers of Ghana Royal West African Frontier Force officers Chiefs of Army Staff (Ghana)