Ghana Air Force The Ghana Air Force ( GAF ) is the air force of the Republic of Ghana . The GAF , along with the Ghanaian Army and Navy , make up the armed forces of Ghana which are controlled by that nation ' s Ministry of Defence . History . The Ghana Air Force started on 24 July 1959 as a Flying Training School with Israeli instructors and technicians . The School was established as a cradle of a service to complement the Army and the Navy . Later that year a headquarters was established in Accra under the command of Indian Air commodore Jaswant Singh who was appointed as the first Chief of Air Staff ( CAS ) . In 1960 Royal Air Force personnel took up the task of training the newly established Ghana Air Force and in 1961 they were joined by a small group of Royal Canadian Air Force personnel . In September 1961 as part of President Kwame Nkrumah ' s Africanization program , a Ghanaian CAS was appointed , with the first being J . E . S . de Graft - Hayford . Although born in the U . K . he was of Ghanaian descent . The Ghana Air Force was in the beginning equipped with a squadron of Chipmunk trainers , and squadrons of Beavers , Otters and Caribou transport aircraft . In addition a DH125 jet was bought for Kwame Nkrumah , Hughes helicopters were bought for mosquito spraying plus DH Doves and Herons . Whirlwind helicopters and a squadron of MB 326 ground attack / trainer jets were also purchased . In 1962 the national school of gliding was set up by Hanna Reitsch , who was once Adolf Hitler ' s top personal pilot . Under the command of Air Commodore de Graft - Hayford , she served as director , operations instructor and trainer of the school . She also acted as the personal pilot of Kwame Nkrumah from 1962 - 1966 . Organization . The GAF headquarters and main transport base are located in Accra , close to Kotoka International Airport . Other air bases include : Air Force Base , Sekondi - Takoradi , started as Ghana Air Force , Sekondi - Takoradi , on 1 March 1961 . The Chipmunk Basic Trainer Aircraft was the first aircraft used at the Station with an all Rank Air Force Station . The Air Force Base , Accra , came into being soon after the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) had taken over the administration from the Indian and Israeli Air Force officers at the beginning of 1961 . The station was housed at No 3 hangar at the Accra Airport ( Kotoka International Airport ) with hardly any aircraft . The Unit had four main sub - units , i . e . the Administration Wing , Flying Wing , Technical Wing and Equipment Wing . The School of Technical Training was also located at this station . The Station moved from No 3 hangar to its present location in Burma Camp towards the end of 1965 . Mission . The role of the Ghana Air Force , as defined in the National Defense Policy , is to provide “ Air Transport and Offensive Air Support to the Ghana Armed Forces and to protect the territorial air space of Ghana ” . The National Defense Policy further states certain specific tasks , which the Ghana Air Force is expected to perform . These tasks are as follows : The Ghana Air Force is also responsible for the co - ordination and direction of Search and Rescue ( SAR ) within the Accra Flight Information Region . Aircraft Inventory . The Ghana Air Force has 24 aircraft in service , including 4 trainer / light attack jets and 9 helicopters . Chiefs of Air Staff . The senior appointment in the GAF is the Chief of Air Staff . The following is a list of the Ghana Air Force Chiefs of Air Staff : Rank Structure . The GAF ' s rank structure is similar to the RAF ' s rank structure from where its ranks were derived . Officers . In descending order of importance the GAF officer ranks are : Airmen . In descending order of importance the GAF airman ranks are :