Vice Admiral Mathew Quashie (23 March 1951 - 9 January 2020) is a Ghanaian naval officer and was the twenty-ninth 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 also served as the Chief of Naval Staff of the

Ghana Navy The Ghana Navy (GN) is the naval warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The Ghanaian Navy, along with the Ghanaian Army (GA) and Ghanaian Air Force (GHF), make up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF) which are co ...

from 3 April 2009 to 28 March 2013.

Early life

Vice Admiral Quashie was born on 23 March 1951 in Accra. In 1970 he obtained his

General Certificate of Education The General Certificate of Education (GCE) is a subject-specific family of academic qualifications used in awarding bodies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Crown dependencies and a few Commonwealth countries. For some time, the Scottish ed ...

Ordinary Level Certificate after a five-year secondary school education at

Mfantsipim School Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High School and ...

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

. After Mfantsipim School, got admitted into the

Ghana Secondary Technical School The Ghana Secondary Technical School is a science and technology-oriented high school located in Takoradi on the west coast of Ghana. It is the third oldest high school in Ghana - the oldest 'non-missionary' high school. The School was founded ...

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 ...

from 1970 to 1972. He was awarded his Advanced Level Certificate after completion.

Naval service

Vice Admiral Quashie enlisted into the Ghana Military Academy in 1972. He went to 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 ...

to continue his basic military officer training. He enrolled at the

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

and completed his training in 1974. He returned to Ghana and was commissioned

Sub-Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

into the Executive Branch of the

in July 1974.

Naval appointments

Vice Admiral Quashie has served the Navy in various capacities including: * Watch-Keeping Officer on the Ghana Navy Ships (GNS) Keta, Kromantse, Sahene and Achimota * Executive Officer on GNS

Elmina Elmina, also known as Edina by the local Fante people, Fante, is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem Municipal District, Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region, Ghana, Centra ...

and Dzata * Acting Executive Officer on GNS Kromantse. * Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of the Naval Staff. * Base Operations Officer, Naval Base

Sekondi 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 indus ...

* Staff Officer Communication and Intelligence * Acting Training Officer, Naval Base Sekondi * Senior Officer Afloat and Commanding Officer Naval Base Sekondi. He served in the several senior capacities prior to his appointment as the Chief of Staff. They included: * Director of Operations and Plans at the Naval Headquarters * Directing Staff at both the Ghana Armed Forces Command College and Nigeria Command and Staff College * Deputy Commandant Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College * Director Resettlement at General Headquarters (2003) and Chief Staff Officer, Naval Headquarters * Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command

Combat operation

During the 1980s

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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

conflict, Vice Admiral Quashie was appointed Assistant Staff Officer of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Interim Force in Lebanon. File:US Navy 071120-N-8933S-015 Rear Adm. Tony Kurta, director for Policy, Resources and Strategy, United States Naval Forces Europe, and Ghanaian navy Commodore Matthew Quashie, Eastern Ghana Naval Command, meet with Africa Partner.jpg, With Rear Adm. Tony Kurta File:Medical Clinic in Tema ground-breaking 071120-N-8933S-132.jpg, With Rear Adm. Tony Kurta File:US Navy 071120-N-8933S-152 Builder 2nd Class Errol Browning, right, explains the plans of construction.jpg, Touring

Military appointment

On 28 March 2013, President John Dramani Mahama, Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, swore Vice Admiral Quashie into office as the Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces. He replaced Lt Gen. Peter Blay. Prior to his appointment, Vice Admiral Quarshie served as the Chief of Naval Staff. He handed over to Rear Admiral

Geoffrey Mawuli Biekro Rear Admiral Geoffrey Mawuli Biekro (born 28 August 1952) is 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, shar ...

Death

On 9 January 2020, Quashie 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, where he had been on admission for some time. He had reportedly not been well since he lost his wife in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quashie, Matthew Ghanaian military personnel Ghana Navy personnel Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Ghana) Mfantsipim School alumni 1951 births 2020 deaths Chiefs of Naval Staff (Ghana) Ghana Secondary Technical School alumni