Ranking Member on Defence and Interior Committee, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama‘s recent overhaul of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) leadership.
In a post on X on March 18, 2025, Rev Ntim Fordjour expressed alarm over Mahama’s decision to dismiss the Chief of Defence Staff, all service chiefs, and 12 senior military officers of the rank of Major-General and above, spanning two-star, three-star, and four-star generals.
The MP for Assin South argued that most of the affected officers, by rank and age, had up to six more years of service before retirement, and that their abrupt removal would place a significant financial burden on the public purse.
“President Mahama has, today, dismissed the Chief of Defence Staff and all service chiefs in the Ghana Armed Forces and all 12 most senior military officers of the rank of Major-General equivalent and above (i.e., all 2-star Generals, 3-star Generals, and 4-star General).
“Most of these Generals, by rank and age, have six (6) more years to serve in the military before their retirement. What this implies for the public purse is that gratuities will have to be paid, running into millions of cedis, due to the egoistic, premature dismissals of senior-ranked generals, replacing them with lower-ranked Brigadier Generals and equivalent (1-star Generals) at the command of the Ghana Armed Forces,” he wrote.
He further stated that President Mahama’s appointments of lower-ranked Brigadier Generals and equivalents (one-star generals) to lead the GAF resets the military hierarchy to a level that undermines Ghana’s recently expanded military might.
He pointed out that under the previous administration, key corps such as armour, artillery, signals, and 48 Engineers were upgraded to Brigade status, elevating the Chief of Defence Staff to a four-star general position, a status now reversed under Mahama’s leadership changes.
“Just when Ghana expanded its military might, upgrading key corps such as armour, artillery, signals, and 48 Engineers to Brigade status, thereby attaining 4-star General status for the Chief of Defence Staff, Mahama has reset the top hierarchy back to 1-star General as Chief of Defence Staff. This reset is indeed backward, costly, and far-fetched,” he stated.
This criticism by the MP comes amid a broader shake-up of Ghana’s security architecture by President Mahama, who assumed office in January 2025, following his victory in the December 7, 2024, presidential election.
Since taking power, President Mahama has made sweeping changes across security institutions, including removing Dr George Akuffo Dampare as Inspector General of Police (IGP) and replacing him with COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, on March 14, 2025.
Other security institutions affected by the shake-up include the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, and the Ghana Prisons Service.
However, Rev Ntim Fordjour contends that the military leadership changes, announced on March 17, 2025, via the presidency’s official communication, could harm military morale and operational efficiency.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Assin South, who previously served as Deputy Minister for Education, warned that these moves could set a dangerous precedent for Ghana’s defence strategy.
President Mahama has today dismissed Chief of Defence Staff and all Service Chiefs in Ghana Armed Forces and all 12 most senior military officers of the rank of Major-General equivalent and above (i.e all 2 star Generals, 3 star Generals and 4 star General). Most of these… pic.twitter.com/OLX48y4NHj
— John Ntim Fordjour MP (@NtimFordjour) March 18, 2025
GA/AE
Meanwhile, watch as Otumfuo urges government to cancel or review Free SHS if students cannot be fed or accommodated
