Air Marshal Achilles Harry Kwami Dumashie (4 June 1938 - 20 December 2002), often known as Harry Dumashie, was a Ghanaian soldier. He served as Chief of Air Staff and as Ghanaian Chief of Defence Staff from 1992 to 1996.

Early life and education

Dumashie was born at Dzelukope in the Volta Region of Ghana. His secondary school education was at

Mawuli School Mawuli School is a co-educational, boarding senior high school located in Ho in the Ho Municipal district in the Volta Region of Ghana. History The school was founded in 1950 by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. It was the first senior high ...

at Ho which he attended between 1955 and 1959. He proceeded to the

Ghana Military Academy The Ghana Military Academy is the military academy of the Ghana Armed Forces. It offers basic military training to officer cadets from the Ghana Army, Ghana Navy and the Ghana Air Force. The academy is based in Teshie Teshie is a coastal tow ...

where he received his military training. He also trained as a pilot at the Pilot Training School at the Accra Air Force Station.

Career and politics

He received his commission into 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 commander ...

on 30 September 1961. He joined the Ghana Air Force, rising through the ranks to become the Chief of Air Staff in June 1988. Following the death of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Major General Winston Mensa-Wood in March 1992, Dumashie was appointed as his replacement on 22 March 1992. He also succeeded him as a member of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which was the military government ruling Ghana at the time in his capacity as Chief of Defence Staff. He held this position until the PNDC handed over power to a civilian

Rawlings government This is a listing of the ministers who served in Jerry Rawlings's National Democratic Congress government during the Fourth Republic of Ghana. This started on January 7, 1993, after 11 years of military rule by Rawlings. He retired from the Ghana ...

following the

1992 Ghanaian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ghana on 3 November 1992. They were the first contested elections held in the country since 1979, and only the fourth contested elections of any sort since the country gained independence in 1957. Jerry Rawl ...

. He however continued as the CDS until 1 October 1996 when he was succeeded by Lieutenant General Akafia.

Death

Duamashie died at the

37 Military Hospital The 37 Military Hospital is a specialist hospital located in Accra, on the main road between the Kotoka International Airport and central Accra. It is the largest military hospital in the Republic of Ghana after the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The ...

in Accra after a short illness.

Family

Dumashie was survived by a wife and six children.

Honours

In October 2012, President John Mahama commissioned equipment including a simulator, three surveillance aircraft and two hangars at the Takoradi Air Force Station. One of the hangars was named the "AVM Achiles Harry Kwame Dumashie Hangar".

References

1938 births 2002 deaths Ghana Air Force air marshals Mawuli School alumni Ewe people People from Volta Region {{Ghana-bio-stub