Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, MP for Assin South and Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, has strongly criticized President John Dramani Mahama’s sweeping changes in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), describing them as “backward, costly, and far-fetched.
He argued that Ghana’s defense strategy should prioritize stability and experience rather than abrupt leadership changes that could weaken the institution.
The reshuffle, announced on Monday, March 17, 2025, led to the removal of the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, and the Chief of Air Staff, along with 12 other senior officers ranked Major-General and above.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ntim Fordjour warned that the mass dismissals could have far-reaching consequences on morale and operational efficiency. He also raised concerns over the financial burden on the state, as many of the dismissed officers had up to six years before mandatory retirement.
Additionally, he cautioned that replacing seasoned top officers with lower-ranked Brigadier Generals (1-star Generals) could weaken the chain of command and compromise military effectiveness.
“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.
“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 of Staff, Mahama has reset the top hierarchy back to 1-star General as Chief of Defence Staff. This reset is indeed backward, costly and farfetched,” part of his X post stated.
