Benjamin Kofi Amoah Forjoe (died 16 July 2013) was a Ghanaian police officer, diplomat and politician. Ben Forjoe was a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

who also received training from

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

as a counterintelligence officer.

Foreign service

Forjoe worked with the research (intelligence) bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became the deputy director of the Research Bureau in 1961. He was later appointed the first Ghanaian director of the Research Bureau the following year. He became the head of the Passport Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in November 1965. In 1973, he was appointed Ghana's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

and

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

by the

National Redemption Council The National Redemption Council (NRC) was the ruling Ghana military government from 13 January 1972 to 9 October 1975. Its chairman was Colonel I. K. Acheampong, who was thus also the head of state of Ghana. Duration of rule The NRC came into p ...

military government led by Colonel Acheampong. Another Ghanaian diplomat and writer, K. B. Asante, who also served under Kwame Nkrumah, wrote highly of Forjoe's conduct while in office, describing him as "knowledgeable and courageous".

Security service

In 1963, he was appointed to the Bureau of National Investigations (then known as the Special Branch). He became its Director in 1964, a position he held until November 1965. He was earmarked by the

Provisional National Defence Council The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the Ghanaian government after the People's National Party's elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a co ...

(PNDC) to revamp Ghanaian security following the coup d'état on 31 December 1981 by the PNDC.

Politics

Forjoe was appointed the Commissioner for Interior Affairs by the

Armed Forces Revolutionary Council The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was a group of Sierra Leone soldiers that allied itself with the rebel Revolutionary United Front in the late 1990s. While the AFRC briefly controlled the country in 1998, it was driven from the cap ...

led by Flight Lieutenant

Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...

from June 1979 until August 1979. He was appointed Special Coordinator at the Office of the Chairman of the PNDC, which was the ruling military government in Ghana in January 1983 under Jerry Rawlings. Forjoe continued as Special Coordinator at the Office of the President on the return to constitutional rule under the National Democratic Congress of Rawlings until retiring in 1996.

Industry

Following Forjoe's stint in politics, he joined Dorman Long Steel in Ghana as its managing director until 1982, when he was recalled by the Ghana government for service.

Honours

In 1997, he was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the highest national award by the

Government of Ghana The Government of Ghana was created as a parliamentary democracy, followed by alternating military and civilian governments in Ghana. In January 1993, military government gave way to the Fourth Republic after presidential and parliamentary electi ...

, for his meritorious services to the country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forjoe, Ben 1921 births 2013 deaths Ambassadors of Ghana to Benin Ambassadors of Ghana to Togo Ghanaian diplomats Ghanaian police officers Interior ministers of Ghana