Background
He was born on May 21, 1938, at Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He was born on May 21, 1938, at Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Educated in Kumasi and left secondary 160 school after getting West African School Certificate in 1958. Admitted to do a sixth form course, but left in the middle of the first academic year to fulfill his childhood ambition and join the army.
He enlisted on March 19, 1959, and was commissioned on June 10, 1962, after officer cadet training at the Royal Officers’ Specialist Training School, Teshie, and the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun, India.
He was then sent almost immediately, in August 1959, to the Congo (Zaire) where he served as second in command to Colonel Acheampong. He became an instructor at the Ghana Military Academy and Training School, Accra, second in command of the 2nd and 5th Battalions and acting commander of the 5th Battalion of Infantry. He has also held two key military appointments abroad as staff officer to the Defence Adviser, in the Ghana High Commission, London, and Assistant Defence and Armed Forces Attache at the Ghana Embassy, Washington, USA.
He was one of the young mess-mates who executed the military coup and was on the first list of members of the National Redemption Council announced on January 13, 1972. His appoint-ment as Commissioner for Lands and Mineral Resources followed on January 29. Since then, he has travelled frequently. In August 1972 he went to Russia and Eastern Europe to persuade these countries to re-adopt the industrial projects they had started but abandoned with the overthrow of Nkrumah. In November he was appointed Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and started a highly active programm.
A major, very close to Colonel Acheampong, who had frequently been his commanding officer and military colleague, he was based near him as commander of the 2nd Battalion at Burmah camp, not far from Accra. Unruffled, cool, calculating and diplomatic, he has acquired a reputation for settling disputes between junior officers by privately confronting those who complain to him, and adjudicating personally.
Already widely travelled, he has had past experience in key military appointments in London and Washington and since the coup he has been used to an increasing extent by the military government on special missions to Europe and Britain. Finally, his diplomatic skill was recognised by his appointment as Commissioner for Foreign Affairs.