Air Vice Marshal John E. Odaate-Barnor (30 May 1937 – 31 August 2012) was a

Ghanaian 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 To ...

airman and diplomat. He was a former Chief of 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 commander ...

. He served in this capacity from 7 December 1979 till 31 December 1981.

Early life and education

Odaate-Barnor was born in Accra, the capital city of

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 To ...

. His primary education was at the Presbyterian Primary School,

Mpraeso Mpraeso is a town and the capital of Kwahu South district, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana, located at an altitude of 367 m on the Kwahu Plateau, which forms the south-west boundary of Lake Volta. Mpraeso has a 2013 settlem ...

. He proceeded to the Presbyterian Middle School at

Abetifi Abetifi is a small town in south Ghana and is the capital of Kwahu East district, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the ...

, which he completed in 1951. His

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

was at the Abuakwa State College at Kibi in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He graduated in 1955.

Army career

He was one of the first to enlist in the Air Force Cadet in July 1959 and completed his training with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

in August 1961 in 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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was commissioned on 20 January 1961. After his return to Ghana from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where he had further training, he was based at the Air Force Base at

Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indu ...

in the Western Region. He became garrison commander in 1972. After his diplomatic service, he was appointed commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College in 1977, the second person to hold this position. He became the Air Force Commander in May 1979. He was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff in May 1980 by the

Limann government This is a listing of the ministers who served in Limann's People's National Party government during the Third Republic of Ghana. The Third Republic was inaugurated on 24 September 1979. It ended with the coup on 31 December 1981, which brought t ...

Diplomatic service

He served as Ghana's ambassador to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

between 1972 and 1977 until he was recalled to Ghana during the era of 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.

Other activities

John Odaate – Barnor also served as a member of the Council of the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tema Development Corporation between 1977 and March 1981. He has also served as the Chairman of the

Veterans Association of Ghana The Veterans Association of Ghana is an association of former servicemen and women of the Gold Coast Regiment and the Ghana Armed Forces. It started originally as the Gold Coast Legion was formed in 1944 as a branch of what was then known as the ...

References

External sources

John Barnor on Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odaate-Barnor, John E. Ghanaian soldiers Ghana Air Force air marshals 1937 births 2012 deaths Abuakwa State College alumni