Kofi Ampeah Woode
Air Marshal (AM) Frederick Asare Kwesi Bekoe has honourably grounded arms, handing over the Ghana Air Force (GHF) yoke to Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Eric Agyen-Frempong, after being in military service from 1988, and being the 21st Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), GHF from 31 January 2023.
A ceremonial Transfer of Authority parade was held on the forenoon of Thursday 27 March 2025, at the forecourt of the GHF Headquarters, Burma Camp, where AM FAK Bekoe (Rtd) called on military personnel, to put an end to lobbying for positions in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
“Lobbying is not good, and I always say this. Let’s stop this in our armed forces. We’ll be just fine. The big men we see around, they know us before we think that they know us. So please, let’s be patient and wait on the Lord. What is ours, we’ll get it in God’s own time. I therefore urge you all to be patient in life and work hard”, the retired Air Chief states.
A citation presented by GHF to honour the outgone CAS, recognized AM Bekoe (Rtd) and his unwavering dedication to the Air Force, GAF and the Republic of Ghana, having held key positions within the Service, playing critical roles in the training and development of Officers and airmen, operational readiness and infrastructure enhancement.
It acknowledges him as possessing a commercial pilot license and a certified Flight Instructor, one who shaped the next generation of Air Force pilots, a man of high standards, demanding nothing less than excellence, fostering a culture grounded in precision, discipline and attention to detail, earning admiration from peers and subordinates alike.
“As a visionary leader, you spearheaded the Smart Air Force vision that elevated operational capability, institutional structure and visibility of the Ghana Air Force.
This encompassed comprehensive personnel training, improved aircraft serviceability and infrastructure modernization. Under your leadership, Officers and Airmen of various traits underwent specialist training abroad, significantly boosting our operational strength and manpower capabilities. Your drive led to modernizing facilities across all bases, enhancing efficiency and morale”, it stated further.
During his tenure, AM FAK renovated the Air Force Officers’ Mess into a really classy one, and reconstructed the Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers’ mess into state-of-the-art facility.
His 37 years of military career have seen him flying for 35 years, after being initially trained in the Libyan Air Academy, and the Pegasus Flight Center, Texas, United States of America (USA), then posted to the Communication Squadron of the GHF, and transited from flying Fokker 28 to the Fokker 900.
He survived four (4) engine failures – twice on a Fokker 27 and twice on a Falcon; including flights that one time had former President Evans Atta-Mills, and on another occasion had former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on board.
He was Commander, Air Force Base (AFB) Accra from January 2016 to 2019, promoted to AVM as Air Officer Special Duty, where he continued flying and brought up young pilots.
On assumption of office, he set a vision of building what he called a smart air force, capable of defending Ghana’s territorial airspace against military attacks, while delivering air power effectively and efficiently for national development, training pilots and engineers.
Recognizing that a strong and effective air force depends on a well-trained personnel, he made it a priority to invest in capacity building, and ensured that Officers and Airmen received top-tier training, both locally and internationally, with the notion that whether one trains locally or not, one needs to add some external exposure to broaden their horizon.
AM Bekoe (Rtd) believed that an air force without aircraft is like a soldier without a weapon, and that to achieve operational success, GHF aircrafts must remain serviceable, mission-ready, and capable of responding to operational and administrative needs, hence his administration made a deliberate effort to sustain and maintain its fleet.
Through strategic partnership, local ingenuity, and relentless dedication of the technical teams, aircrafts were kept serviced and operational and deployed in peacekeeping missions, medical evacuations, support to sister services, and international exercises like Flintlock, African Lion, and Obangame.
He also prioritized the welfare of personnel by embarking on significant infrastructure development, provided uniforms and modernized GHF Operations Room to improve monitoring capabilities, enhancing ability to secure the skies of Ghana.
He also paid special attention to Officers’ and Airmen promotions, believing that to take interest in his people’s promotion would lead to his own promotion.
The 21st CAS of GHF admonished his successor, to lead with courage, be fair and firm with unwavering commitment to the achievement of the Air Force’s objectives, and be mindful of the welfare of troops, knowing that ‘when you put the people first, they will give you their best’.
Present at the event included the Chief of the Army Staff – Major General Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu; Chief of the Naval Staff – Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing; former CAS – AM Sampson Oje; Defence Attachés of Diplomatic Missions, Director Generals, Officers, Executives of retired Commission Air Force Officers Association, Master Air Warrant Officer, Warrant Officers, Retired Airmen, Airmen, Defence Civilian Staff, amongst many.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
