Humphrey Asamoah Agyekum - From Bullies to Officers and Gentlemen: How Notions of Professionalism and Civility Transformed the Ghana Armed Forces

First published in 2019 by

Berghahn Books

www.berghahnbooks.com

2019 Humphrey Asamoah Agyekum

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages
for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book
may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented,
without written permission of the publisher.

A C.I.P. cataloging record is available from the Library of Congress

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Control Number: 2019008858

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-78920-294-6 hardback
ISBN 978-1-78920-295-3 ebook

In the creation of this book, I have met many people who have taken me through the life of a Ghanaian soldier and have taught me important lessons in life in general. These encounters made me indebted to too many to mention every single one here. Firstly, I wish to thank all my informants, both military and civilian, for their time, patience and insights. Secondly, I am extremely grateful to the High Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Directorate of Public Relations (DPR), the Directorate of Personnel Administration (DPA) and the Department of Defence Intelligence (DI) for granting me permission to conduct fieldwork with the Ghana Armed Forces. I am especially indebted to the officers, men and civilian employees at DPR for their endless support and kindness whenever I called on them. I also wish to express my most heartfelt gratitude to all the commanders, officers and men at the Ghana Military Academy, Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment, 64 Infantry Regiment, 1 Infantry Battalion, Army Headquarters, Navy Headquarters, Air Force Headquarters, the Air Force Base, Burma Camp and Eastern Naval Command in Tema for their warm reception. The commanding officers, officers and men of 6 Infantry Battalion and 69 Airborne Force in Tamale, need special mention for their exceptionally kind reception, time and patience. I also want to send out a big thank you to all retired officers and men for their precious time; they taught me about military conventions and allowed me to tap into their memories, experiences and insights. Thank you all very much!

I wish to thank the commandant, officers, men and the academic staff at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for receiving me. Lieutenant Colonel Roy Parkinson (rtd) deserves a special mention for his guidance; Margaret Jones for taking me under her care during my visits; and the academic staff members for allowing me into their classrooms and the archives.

At the Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, I am most grateful to Birgitte Refslund Srensen, for her comments, criticism and encouragement. I am also grateful to Jan-Bart Gewald for his moral support and insightful comments. I thank Henrik Vigh and Morten Axel Pedersen for being there for many discussions. Further, a big thank you to Gary Schaub, Jr. for his generosity and Samuel A. Ntewusu for his friendship.

I am also most grateful to Sasakawa Foundation and Fonden Erik Hoffmeyers Rejselegat (of the Danish Central Bank) for generously funding my fieldwork to Ghana that resulted in this book. A very big thank you to my family and everyone else who helped and supported me over the years. Finally, I am most indebted to my love, Alena, for accompanying me to the field, for supporting me throughout this writing process and, most importantly, for taking care of our boy, Miles, the countless hours that I was absent.

1BN 1 Infantry Battalion

2BN 2 Infantry Battalion

2iC Second in Command

3BN 3 Infantry Battalion

5BN 5 Infantry Battalion

6BN 6 Infantry Battalion

ABF Airborne Force

ACOTA Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance

AFCDR Armed Forces Committees for the Defence of the Revolution

AFDC Armed Forces Defence Committee

AFR Armed Forces Regulations

AFRC Armed Forces Revolutionary Council

ASM Ghana Military Academy Sergeant Major

AWOL Absent without Leave

BNI Bureau of National Investigations

BOD Base Ordinance Depot

CAS Chief of Air Staff

CDD Centre for Democratic Development

CDS Chief of Defence Staff

CNS Chief of Naval Staff

CO Commanding Officer

COAS Chief of Army Staff

CPP Convention Peoples Party

CSIPS Command and Staff Instructions and Procedures

CSM Company Sergeant Major

CWO Chief Warrant Officer

DAC Defence Administrative Committee

DI Department of Defence Intelligence

DPA Directorate of Personnel Administration

DPR Directorate of Public Relations

DSC Defence Staff Committee

ECOMOG Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group

ECOWAS Economic Community of West Africa

FCPO Fleet Chief Petty Officer

FRB Force Reserve Battalion

FSM Force Sergeant Major

GAF Ghana Armed Forces

GAFCSC Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College

GBC Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

GCC Gold Coast Constabulary

GHANBATT Ghanaian Battalion

GHQ General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces

GIMPA Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration

GMA Ghana Military Academy

ICTs Information and Communications Technologies

IGP Inspector General of Police

IMF International Monetary Fund

KAIPTC Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre

MATS Ghana Armed Forces Military Academy and Training Schools

MDIS Ministry of Defence Instructions

MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali

MWO Master Warrant Officer

NADMO National Disaster Management Organisation

NCO Non-commissioned Officer

NDC National Democratic Congress

NLC National Liberation Council

NPP New Patriotic Party

NRC National Reconciliation Commission

NRC National Redemption Council

NVA Nationale Volksarmee; National Peoples Army of the German Democratic Republic

OC Officer Commanding

OCTU Officer Cadet Training Unit

ORs Other ranks