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 the ...

Joseph Henry Smith (born 9 January 1945) is the Ambassador of Ghana to the United States. Smith was the

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

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 ...

during President

John Atta Mills John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...

' term of office from 2009 to 2013. He is also a former Chief of Army Staff of the

Ghana Army The Ghana Army (GA) is the main ground warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast obtained independence as Ghana, the Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West Af ...

Early life and education

Joseph Smith was born on 9 January 1945 in Takoradi. studied at the

Achimota School Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The school wa ...

in the

Greater Accra Region The Greater Accra Region has the smallest area of Ghana's 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 3,245 square kilometres. This is 1.4 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the second most populated region, befor ...

of Ghana between 1959 and 1963 where he completed the West African School Certificate. He enrolled as an officer cadet at the Ghana Military Academy. He was commissioned 2/Lt on 16th October, 1965 into the Ghana Army Engineer Corps.

Military career

Smith was commissioned as a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in October 1965 with the Ghana Army Engineer Corps. He rose through the years and became the Commandant of the Military Academy and Training School at Teshie,

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

in 1993. From 1993 to 1996, he was the Commander of the Second Infantry Brigade Group (now known as the Northern Command) with headquarters at

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 the ...

in the

Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in southern part of Ghana and it is the third largest of 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of or 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, however, it is the mo ...

of Ghana. While in this position, he was appointed Special Task Force Commander to restore law and order in Northern Ghana between January and September 1994 during the Konkomba and Nanumba conflict. In 1996, Smith served as the Company Commander of the

United Nations Emergency Force The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was a military and peacekeeping operation established by the United Nations General Assembly to secure an end to the Suez Crisis of 1956 through the establishment of international peacekeepers on the bor ...

(UNEF) in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. He was appointed Chief of Staff of the Ghana Army in 1996 by President

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 ...

. He held this position till 2001. Smith is the only Army Commander to have commanded three formations including two Infantry Brigade Groups. He retired from the military in February 2009 after 39 years.

Other work

After leaving the army, Smith worked as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Insurance Commission before going into politics in 2009.

Politics

In February 2009, Smith was appointed Minister for Defence by President

, a position he held till 2012. President

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He previously served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012, and took office as presi ...

replaced Smith with Hon. Mark Owen Woyongo as the Minister for Defence. On , Smith was named, on was accredited the Ghanaian

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

of America.

Personal life

Smith is twice married. He has three children from his first marriage and two from his current marriage with Douha Smith. He has a younger brother, Emmanuel Victor Smith who used to be spokesperson for Ex President

and also was one time Ghana Ambassador 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 North ...

Honours

* Smith was awarded the Companion of the

Order of the Volta The Order of the Volta is an order of merit from the Republic of Ghana. It was instituted in 1960 and is awarded to people for their outstanding service to the country.

, one of Ghana's highest awards in 2001. *Legion of Merit” (USA) the fifth Highest Award in the US Army. *National Award – Ghana/UN Peace Keeping. *The State of Texas, USA, honored with the title “Admiral in the Texas Navy. *International Award – UN Peace Keeping Operations in the Sinai, Egypt.

References

External source

Lt Gen Smith on official Ghana government website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joseph Henry Living people 1945 births Ghanaian soldiers Alumni of Achimota School Defence ministers of Ghana National Democratic Congress (Ghana) politicians Ambassadors of Ghana to the United States Recipients of the Order of the Volta Chiefs of Army Staff (Ghana) Cabinet Ministers of Ghana