# Minister for Defence (Ghana)

The Minister for Defence is the Ghanaian government official responsible for the Ministry of Defence of Ghana and the Ghana Armed Forces. The Minister for Defence since January 2025 is the Edward Omane Boamah. He was appointed by President John Mahama at the start of his second stint as President of Ghana.

## List of ministers

The ministry has had a succession of ministers since independence starting with the Governor - General. During the rule of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, there was no specific minister as the council as a body was responsible for Defence.
During the years of military rule, the official in charge of the Ministry of Defence was often the Head of state. Thus, Lt General J. A..Ankrah, Lt. General A. A. Afrifa were in charge of the Ministry during the National Liberation Council era between 1966 and 1969. Between 1972 and 1979, General I. K. Acheampong and Lt. General F. W. K. Akuffo took charge of the Ministry under the National Redemption Council and the Supreme Military Council. The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) under Flt. Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings was the first military government not to have the Head of state head the ministry. The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military government appointed civilian ministers to head the ministry.
Mahama Iddrisu has served longest in this office. He was the Minister of Defence for the last seven years of the military rule of the PNDC from 1985 to January 1993. He then continued as the first Minister to be appointed in the NDC government of the Fourth republic by Jerry Rawlings from January 1993 to February 1999, an additional six years making a total of fourteen years.
| Number | Minister | Took office | Left office | Government | Party |
| 1 | Charles Noble Arden-Clarke | 1957 | 1958 | Nkrumah government | Governor-General |
| 2 | Rev Stephen Allen Dzirasa (MP) | 1958 | 1959 | Nkrumah government | Convention People's Party |
| 3 | Kwame Nkrumah (MP) | 1959 | 1960 | Nkrumah government | Convention People's Party |
| 4 | Charles de Graft Dickson (MP) | 1960 | 1961 | Nkrumah government | Convention People's Party |
| 5 | Kofi Baako (MP) | Sep 1961 | 24 Feb 1966 | Nkrumah government | Convention People's Party |
| 6 | Lt. General J. A. Ankrah | 1966 | 1968 | National Liberation Council | Military government |
| 7 | Lt. General Akwasi Afrifa | 1968 | 1969 | National Liberation Council | Military government |
| 8 | J. Kwesi Lamptey (MP) | 1969 | 1971 | Busia government | Progress Party |
| 9 | Bukari K. Adama (MP) | 27 Jan 1971 | 12 Jan 1972 | Busia government | Progress Party |
| 10 | General I. K. Acheampong | Jan 1972 | 9 Oct 1975 | National Redemption Council | Military government |
| 10 | General I. K. Acheampong | 9 Oct 1975 | 5 Jul 1978 | Supreme Military Council | Military government |
| 11 | Lt. General Fred Akuffo | 5 Jul 1978 | 4 Jun 1979 | Supreme Military Council | Military government |
| 12 | | 1979 | 1979 | Armed Forces Revolutionary Council | Military government |
| 13 | S. K. Riley-Poku | 1979 | 31 Dec 1981 | Limann government | People's National Party |
| 14 | Naa Polku Konkuu Chiiri | 1982 | Nov 1983 | Provisional National Defence Council | Military government |
| 15 | Rear Admiral C. K. Dzang | 22 Nov 1983 | 1985 | Provisional National Defence Council | Military government |
| 16 | Mahama Iddrisu | 1985 | 6 Jan 1993 | Provisional National Defence Council | Military government |
| 16 | Mahama Iddrisu | 7 Jan 1993 | Feb 1999 | Rawlings government | National Democratic Congress |
| 17 | Lt. Col. E. K. T. Donkoh | Feb 1999 | 6 Jan 2001 | Rawlings government | National Democratic Congress |
| 18 | Kwame Addo-Kufuor (MP) | 7 Jan 2001 | 6 Aug 2007 | Kufuor government | New Patriotic Party |
| 19 | Albert Kan-Dapaah (MP) | 6 Aug 2007 | 6 Jan 2009 | Kufuor government | New Patriotic Party |
| 20 | Lt. Gen. Joseph Henry Smith | 6 Jan 2009 | 24 Jul 2012 | Mills government | National Democratic Congress |
| 20 | Lt. Gen. Joseph Henry Smith | 24 Jul 2012 | 18 Feb 2013 | Mahama government | National Democratic Congress |
| 21 | Mark Owen Woyongo (MP) | 14 Feb 2013 | 16 July 2014 | Mahama government | National Democratic Congress |
| 22 | Benjamin Kumbuor (MP) | 16 Jul 2014 | Feb 2017 | Mahama government | National Democratic Congress |
| 23 | Dominic Nitiwul (MP) | Feb 2017 | 6 January 2025 | Akufo-Addo government | New Patriotic Party |
| 24 | Edward Omane Boamah | 30 January 2025 | Incumbent | Mahama 2nd government | National Democratic Congress |