The minority side of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament has successfully pushed for changes in the command structure of the Ghana Armed Forces.
This follows concerns raised by the committee about the lack of meritocracy in the appointments of Service Chiefs, as announced by President John Mahama, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.
According to John Ntim Fordjour, MP for Assin South, the committee’s concerns centered around the need for merit-based appointments in the Ghana Armed Forces.
Fordjour stated, “In the exercise of oversight, the minority side of the Defence & Interior Committee of Parliament raised pertinent concerns of meritocracy in respect of the changes in the command of Ghana Armed Forces effected by the Commander-in-Chief of Ghana Armed Forces President Mahama.”
However, following the committee’s “spirited advocacy,” changes have been made to the earlier announced appointments.
John Fordjour revealed, “Consistent with our spirited advocacy, changes have consequently been made in the appointments of Service Chiefs earlier announced.”
One of the significant changes announced is the appointment of Air Vice Marshal Mensah-Larkai, a 2-Star General, as the new Chief of Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The Assin South MP, who revealed this in a post on his social media page congratulated AVM Mensah-Larkai on his “well-deserved appointment,” which replaces the earlier announced Brig Gen Ashong Annan, a 1-Star General.
Furthermore, he revealed that the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Service Chiefs have all been promoted to 2-Star General status.
This development is seen as a significant step towards ensuring that the Ghana Armed Forces’ command structure is based on meritocracy.
John Fordjour emphasized that the committee will continue to exercise its oversight role to ensure that the consequential promotions of backlog Colonels and equivalent ranks are done based on merit.
He stated, “We shall continue our oversight to ensure that most importantly, the consequential promotions of backlog Colonels and equivalent, to appropriate higher ranks are done by meritorious credentials to restore morale to the rank and file.”
However, Fordjour expressed his optimism about the future of the Ghana Armed Forces, saying, “God bless our homeland Ghana and make us great and strong!”
-BY Issah Olegor
