No.
|
Portrait
|
Chief of the Defence Staff |
Took office |
Left office |
Time in office |
Defence branch
|
1 | | Paley, AlexanderMajor General Alexander G. V. Paley (1903–1976) | 1954 | 11 January 1960 | 5–6 years | Ghana Army |
2 | | Alexander, Henry TemplerMajor General Henry Templer Alexander CB, CBE, DSO (1911–1977) [9] | 11 January 1960 | September 1961 | 1 year, 7 months | Ghana Army |
3 | | Otu, StephenMajor General Stephen J. A. Otu[10] (1915–1979) (First Ghanaian to be appointed CDS) | September 1961 | 24 July 1965 | 3 years | Ghana Army |
4 | | Aferi, NathanMajor General Nathan A. Aferi[10] (1923–2003) | 24 July 1965 | 24 February 1966 | 0 years | Ghana Army |
5 | | Kotoka, EmmanuelLieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (1926–1967) | 24 February 1966 | 17 April 1967 † | 1 year, 52 days | Ghana Army |
6 | | Ankrah, JosephLieutenant General Joseph Arthur Ankrah (1915–1992) | 17 April 1967 | March 1968 | 10 months | Ghana Army |
7 | | Otu, MichaelAir Marshal Michael Akuoko Otu OSG (1925–2006) | March 1968 | November 1968 | 8 months | Ghana Air Force |
8 | | Ocran, AlbertLieutenant General Albert Kwesi Ocran (1929–2019) | November 1968 | November 1969 | 1 year | Ghana Army |
(7) | | Otu, MichaelAir Marshal Michael Akuoko Otu OSG (1925–2006) | November 1969 | June 1971 | 1 year, 7 months | Ghana Air Force |
9 | | Addo, DanielMajor General Daniel K. Addo | June 1971 | January 1972 | 7 months | Ghana Army |
10 | | Ashley-Lassen, NapoleonAir Vice-Marshal Napoleon Yaovi R. Ashley-Lassen (born 1934) | January 1972 | December 1974 | 2 years, 11 months | Ghana Air Force |
11 | | Okai, LawrenceMajor General Lawrence A. Okai (1934–2017) | December 1974 | November 1976 | 1 year, 11 months | Ghana Army |
12 | | Akuffo, FredLieutenant General Fred Akuffo (1937–1979) | November 1976 | 5 July 1978 | 1 year, 8 months | Ghana Army |
13 | | Kotei, RobertMajor General Robert Kotei (1935–1979) | 5 July 1978 | 23 July 1978 | 18 days | Ghana Army |
14 | | Hamidu, JoshuaLieutenant General Joshua Hamidu (1936–2021) | 23 July 1978 | 4 June 1979 | 316 days | Ghana Army |
15 | | Prah, E.Colonel E. D. F. Prah | 4 June 1979 | 7 July 1979 | 33 days | Ghana Army |
16 | | Nunoo-Mensah, JosephBrigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (born 1939) | 7 July 1979 | 27 November 1979 | 143 days | Ghana Army |
17 | | Sam, EdwinMajor General Edwin Kwamina Sam (born 1940) | 27 November 1979 | 6 December 1979 | 9 days | Ghana Army |
18 | | Odaate-Barnor, JohnAir Vice-Marshal John E. Odaate-Barnor (1937–2012) | 7 December 1979 | 31 December 1981 | 2 years, 24 days | Ghana Air Force |
(16) | | Nunoo-Mensah, JosephBrigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (born 1939) | 1 January 1982 | 23 November 1982 | 326 days | Ghana Army |
19 | | Rawlings, JerryFlight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings (1947–2020) | 28 November 1982 | 25 August 1983 | 270 days | Ghana Air Force |
20 | | Quainoo, ArnoldLieutenant General Arnold Quainoo | 25 August 1983 | 22 September 1989 | 6 years, 28 days | Ghana Army |
21 | | Mensa-Wood, WinstonLieutenant General Winston Mensa-Wood (1940–1992) | 4 June 1990 | 21 March 1992 | 1 year, 291 days | Ghana Army |
22 | | Dumashie, AchillesAir Marshal Achilles Harry Kwami Dumashie (1938–2002) [11] | 22 March 1992 | 1 October 1996 | 4 years, 193 days | Ghana Air Force |
23 | | Akafia, BenLieutenant General Ben K. Akafia (born 1940) [12] | 1 October 1996 | February 2001 | 4 years, 4 months | Ghana Army |
24 | | Obeng, SethLieutenant General Seth Kofi Obeng (born 1945) | February 2001 | 28 February 2005 | 4 years | Ghana Army |
25 | | Danquah, JosephLieutenant General Joseph Boateng Danquah (born 1947) | 20 February 2005 | 28 January 2009 | 3 years, 343 days | Ghana Army |
– | | Nunoo, A.Rear Admiral A. R. S. Nunoo Acting | 28 January 2009 | 31 March 2009 | 62 days | Ghana Navy |
26 | | Blay, PeterLieutenant General Peter A. Blay [13] | 31 March 2009 | 28 March 2013 | 3 years, 362 days | Ghana Army |
27 | | Quashie, MatthewVice Admiral Matthew Quashie (1951–2020) [14] | 28 March 2013 | 5 January 2016 | 2 years, 283 days | Ghana Navy |
28 | | Samson-Oje, MichaelAir Marshal Michael Samson-Oje (born 1954) | 5 January 2016 | 9 February 2017 | 1 year, 35 days | Ghana Air Force |
29 | | Akwa, ObedLieutenant General Obed Akwa (born 1955) [15] | 9 February 2017 | 5 February 2021 | 3 years, 362 days | Ghana Army |
30 | | Amoama, SethVice Admiral Seth Amoama (born 1959) | 5 February 2021 | 31 January 2024 | 3 years, 131 days | Ghana Navy |
31 | | Oppong-Peprah, ThomasLieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah | 1 February 2024 | Incumbent | 135 days | Ghana Army |