The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised President John Mahama’s decision to restructure the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

In a social media post, he expressed concern over the dismissal of the Chief of Defence Staff, all Service Chiefs, and 12 senior military officers of the rank of Major-General and above.

He argued that many of these officers still had up to six years before retirement, and their premature removal would cost the public purse millions in gratuities.

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

President Mahama announced the new appointments on Monday, 17th March 2025, as part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s defence architecture.

The changes, set to take effect on 24th March 2025, include Brigadier General William Agyapong as Acting Chief of the Defence Staff and Brigadier General Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu as Acting Chief of Army Staff.

Other key appointments include Commodore Godwin Livinus Blessing as Acting Chief of Naval Staff, Air Commodore Eric Agyen-Frempong as Acting Chief of Air Staff, and Brigadier General Glover Ashong Annan as Acting Chief of Staff.

Fordjour, however, criticised the move, arguing that replacing experienced senior officers with lower-ranked Brigadier Generals (1-star Generals) weakens the military's command structure.

He noted that Ghana had recently expanded its military capacity, upgrading key units such as armour, artillery, signals, and engineering to brigade status, which justified having a 4-star General as Chief of Defence Staff.

He contended that Mahama’s decision had effectively reversed these advancements by placing a 1-star General at the top of the hierarchy.

Describing the move as "backward, costly, and far-fetched," Fordjour warned that it could significantly impact military morale and operational efficiency.

He emphasised that Ghana’s defence strategy should prioritise stability and experience rather than abrupt leadership changes.

"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 Generals by rank and age, have six (6) more years to serve in the military before their retirement."

"What this implies on 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 Ghana Armed Forces."