The Ghana Army (GA) is the main
ground warfare
Land warfare or ground warfare is the process of military operations eventuating in combat that takes place predominantly on the battlespace land surface of the planet.
Land warfare is categorized by the use of large numbers of combat personn ...
organizational
military branch
Military branch (also service branch or armed service) is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state.
Types of branches
Unified armed forces
The Canadian Armed Forces is the uni ...
of the
Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). In 1959, two years after the
Gold Coast obtained independence as
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 Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...
, the Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the
Royal West African Frontier Force
The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognit ...
, and formed the basis for the new Ghanaian army. Together with the
Ghanaian air force
The Ghana Air Force (GHF) is the aerial warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The GHF, along with the Ghanaian army (GA) and Ghanaian navy (GN), make up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF), which are controlled ...
(GHF) and
Ghanaian navy (GN), the Ghanaian army (GA) makes up the
Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF), controlled by the
Ghanaian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Central Defence Headquarters, both located in
Greater Accra.
History
The command structure for the army forces in Ghana originally stemmed from the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
's
West Africa Command. Lieutenant General
Lashmer Whistler was the penultimate commander holding the command from 1951 to 1953. Lt Gen Sir
Otway Herbert, who left the West Africa Command in 1955, was the last commander. The command was dissolved on 1 July 1956.
In 1957, the Ghana Army consisted of its headquarters, support services, three battalions of infantry and a reconnaissance squadron
with armoured cars. Total strength was approximately 5,700 men. Partially due to an over-supply of British officers after the end of the Second World War, only 12 per cent of the officer corps in Ghana, 29 officers out of 209, were black Ghanaians at independence. Under Major General
Alexander Paley, there were almost 200 British Ghanaian officers and 230 warrant officers and senior commissioned officers posted throughout the Ghanaian Army.
The Ghanaian Prime Minister,
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. ...
, wished to rapidly expand and Africanise the army to support his Pan-African and anti-colonial ambitions. In 1961, the 4th and 5th Battalions were established and the 6th Battalion in 1964, from a parachute unit originally raised in 1963. The Second Infantry Brigade Group was established in 1961 to command the two battalions raised that year. The 3rd Battalion was disbanded in February 1961 after a mutiny in August 1960 while on
Operation des Nations Unies au Congo service at
Tshikapa in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
. The changeover from British to Ghanaian officers meant a sudden lowering of experience levels, training and professionalism.
The Ghanaian commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel David Hansen, had on appointment as battalion commander only seven years of military experience, compared to the more normal twenty years' for battalion commanders in Western armies. He was badly beaten by his troops during the mutiny. The 4th Battalion was raised under a British commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Cairns, from the company of the 3rd Battalion that had not mutinied. Initial British planning by Paley before his departure in 1959 had provided for all British officers to be withdrawn by 1970. Under pressure from Nkrumah, Paley's successor Major General
Henry Alexander revised the plans, for all British personnel to depart by 1962. In September 1961, Alexander and all other British officers and men serving with the Ghanaian armed forces were abruptly dismissed. Nkrumah was determined fully to create all-Ghanaian armed forces, after some years of accelerated promotion of Ghanaian personnel.
Simon Baynham says that "the wholesale shambles which surely must have resulted from simply expelling the expatriate contract and seconded officers was averted by the arrival of Canadian military technicians and training officers". Canadian training team personnel were assigned to the Military Academy (1961−1968), the Military Hospital, as Brigade Training Officers (1961−1968), to the air force and later the Ministry of Defence (1963−1968), Ghana Army Headquarters (1963−1968) and the Airborne School.
Matters deteriorated further after the coup that deposed Nkrumah. Colonel James Bond, the Canadian military attaché, asked to write a report on how Canada could further assist the Ghanaian armed forces, wrote that "during 1966 the preoccupation of.. senior officers with their civilian duties as members of the
National Liberation Council
The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed F ...
and as regional administrators, resulted in an unconscious neglect of the welfare of the Army". Able intermediate level officers had been assigned civilian administrative duties, leaving the army short.
Ghana has contributed forces to numerous
UN and
ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...
operations, including in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
and
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...
(
ECOMOG and
UNMIL
The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was a peacekeeping operation established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberian ...
). Ghana contributed UN
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
Within the United ...
in
UNAMIR
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 872 on 5 October 1993. It was intended to assist in the implementation of the Arusha Accords, signed on 4 August 1993, wh ...
during the
Rwandan genocide
The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...
. In his book ''
Shake Hands with the Devil ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' may refer to:
* ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (1959 film), American drama set in 1921 Ireland
* ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (album), Kris Kristofferson 1979 release on Monument Records
* ''Shake Hands with the ...
'', Canadian UNAMIR Force Commander
Romeo Dallaire gave the Ghanaian soldiers high praise for their work during the conflict, in which the Ghanaian contingent lost three soldiers. In accordance with an official statement issued on Wednesday, 22 March 2000 by the Secretary to the President, the commanders of the 1st Infantry Brigade Group in the south and the 2nd Infantry Brigade Group in the north were appointed General Officers Commanding the Southern and the Northern Commands of the Ghana Army.
Structure
{, align="right"
,
The Ghana army is divided into three brigade sized "commands":
* Northern Command (
Tamale
A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tam ...
)
** 6th Battalion,
Ghana Regiment
** 69th Airborne Force (One company sized formation each in Upper West and Upper East regions respectively).
** ''155th Armoured Recce Regiment (planned)''
* Central Command (
Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...
)
** 3rd Battalion, Ghana Regiment (
Sunyani
Sunyani is a city and the capital town of the Bono Region and the Sunyani Municipal of Ghana. Sunyani had a population of 74,24at the 2010 population and housing census. The city consists mainly of the Bonos by tribe.
History
Sunyani is surro ...
)
** 4th Battalion, Ghana Regiment (
Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...
)
** 154th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (Sunyani)
** 2nd Signal Squadron (Kumasi)
** 2nd Field Workshop (Kumasi)
** 49th Engineer Regiment (Kumasi)
** 2nd Field Ambulance (Kumasi)
** 2nd Transport Company (Kumasi)
** 2nd Field Operations Center (Kumasi)
* Southern Command (Teshie Ridge,
Accra)
** 1st Battalion, Ghana Regiment
Michel Camp,
Tema
Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most po ...
)
** 2nd Battalion, Ghana Regiment (
Takoradi)
** 5th Battalion, Ghana Regiment (
Accra)
**
64th Infantry Regiment (Accra)
** 153rd Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (Accra)
** 66th Artillery Regiment (
Ho)
** 48th Engineer Regiment (
Teshie)
** 1st Field Workshop (Accra)
** 1 Motor Transport Battalion (Accra)
Equipment
Infantry
The Ghanaian Army consists of three distinct infantry elements:
*
Ghana Regiment – The major element of the army is the six
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
battalions of the Ghana Regiment. Three battalions are assigned to each brigade.
* Airborne Force – The Airborne Force (ABF) is a battalion sized formation including a
parachute trained company assigned to the Northern Command.
*
64 Infantry Regiment – 64 Infantry Regiment is the commando trained rapid reaction force assigned to the Southern Command (formerly known as
President's Own Guard Regiment
The President's Own Guard Regiment (POGR) is an infantry regiment of the Ghana Army (GA).
POGR history
The POGR infantry regiment was founded in 1960 as the Presidential Guard Regiment following Ghana's independence when Kwame Nkrumah increased ...
).
Combat support
The Ghanaian Army has a number of units designated as combat support, including its armour, artillery, engineers and signals:
* Reconnaissance Armoured Regiment
* 154 Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (fondation in 2020)
* 48 Engineer Regiment (
Teshie,
Greater Accra Region)
* 49 Engineer Regiment
* 66 Artillery Regiment (Volta Barracks,
Ho; formed 2004 from previous Medium Mortar Regiment)
* Signals Regiment (
Accra)
*
Logistics
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
Group
Most are under the command of the
Support Services Brigade Group
Support may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Supporting character
Business and finance
* Support (technical analysis)
* Child support
* Customer support
* Income Support
Construction
* Support (structure), or lateral suppor ...
.
Rank structure
The GA rank structure is similar to the British army ranks structure.
;Commissioned officers
{, style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
;Enlisted
{, style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
References
Bibliography
* Christopher R. Kilford, The Other Cold War: Canada's Military Assistance to the Developing World 1945-75, Canadian Defence Academy Press, Kingston, Ontario, 2010
*
Further reading
* Lt Col Festus B Aboagye, The Ghana Army: A Concise Contemporary Guide to its Centennial Regimental History, 1897–1999, Sedco Publishing, Accra, 1999
* William F. Gutteridge, "The Military in African Politics,"
Methuen Methuen may refer to:
*Methuen (surname)
*Methuen, Massachusetts, a U.S. city
**Methuen High School
**Methuen Mall
*Baron Methuen, a British title of nobility
*Methuen Cove, South Orkney Islands
*Methuen Publishing, Methuen & Co. Ltd., a British p ...
, 1969
External sources
Official Website of the Ghana Armed Forces
*
{{Authority control
Military units and formations established in 1957
Military of Ghana
1957 establishments in Ghana