Kofi Ampeah WoodeThe Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) at the esteemed Ghana Army has changed hands from Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Bismarck Kwasi Onwona, to Major General (Maj Gen) Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu, thus the former grounding arms after thirty-nine (39) years of service, and thirteen (13) months tour of duty as COAS.
A Transfer of Authority parade was held at the Army Headquarters (AHQ), Burma Camp, Accra, in the forenoon of Monday 24 March 2025, and was supervised by Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Defence – Mr Ernest Brogya-Gyamfi.
Lt Gen BK Onwona (Rtd) ran his tour of duty as COAS from 1st of February 2024, under the vision to maintain a cohesive, motivated and a well-rounded army capable of undertaking its mission of national defence, as part of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
During his tenure, the Army had to deal with a rapid succession of important events and situations, and continued with the Army Expansion Program, with the Artillery and Engineer Brigades having been established, establishment of two additional artillery regiments, two engineer regiments, and the headquarters of the Artillery and Engineer Brigades.
The Army also augmented its fleet of vehicles, particularly with armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to enhance the capabilities of the mechanized units in particular, and to markedly improve the mobility of the Army in general.
There also are the quick impact projects (QIP), which is ongoing, as part of efforts to address the infrastructure challenges, and also to enhance the well-being of Army personnel across the three commands – Southern, Central and Northern – which has already addressed the over 20 year old water problems at Duala Barracks, Burma Camp.
Most of the formations, units, and training schools also benefited from Army Headquarters infrastructure support, in an attempt to improve the general infrastructural needs of the Army, all within the relatively short period of his tour of duty.
Delivering his farewell message to the packed guests at the gathering, General Onwona described his time with the Ghana Army as demanding, challenging and exhausting, but also interesting, engaging and inspiring.
“I wish to observe that in all my 39 years of service, I never attempted to be a star. I only starred in the roles that I had to perform for a name that ultimately, in the end, will all be remembered by how well we ran our own leg of the race and how we helped those who took up the baton after us. Indeed, I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate and privileged to have served as a Chief of the Army Staff for the past 13 months”, he stated.
“General Gbetanu is no stranger to me. We’ve had many happy years working together at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and at the Training and Doctrine Command, where I served as the Commandant, and he as my Deputy. He is a true professional and I’m confident that he will continue the journey of leading our Army to be the best that it ought to be”, he said.
He expressed gratitude to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve as COAS, and to the President and Commander-in-Chief, GAF – His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, for allowing him to continue to serve.
Present at the ceremony included the Chief of Air Staff – Air Marshall – Frederick Asare Kwasi Bekoe; Chief of the Naval Staff – Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing; Commandants; Chief Staff Officer, AHQ – Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Atogebakoga Alobawone; Directors-General, Formation Commanders, serving and retired Generals, Senior Officers and Officers.
Others were Army Sergeant Major – Master Warrant Officer Ansah Yeboah Isaac; Command Sergeant Majors, Regimental Sergeant Majors, Warrant Officers, Soldiers, Defence Civilian Staff, extended family members, international and local partners of the Ghana Army.
Profile of Lt Gen BK Onwona
He enlisted into the Ghana Military Academy in November 1985 and was commissioned on 14th August 1987 as part of Regular Career Course 27. On commission as a Second Lieutenant, he was posted to the Field Engineer Regiment as a Troop Commander.
Prior to this appointment as COAS, Lt Gen BK Onwona had served in various capacities in the GAF throughout his Military Career, including; Adjutant, Field Engineer Regiment; Adjutant, 48 Engineer Regiment; Adjutant, Engineer Training School; Officer Commanding, 48 Engineer Regiment; and Instructor at the Ghana Military Academy.
He also served as the Second-in-Command of the 48 Engineer Regiment from June 2004 – January 2006. He served as a Directing Staff at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College from 2006 – 2008 and again from 2009 – 2012, Directing Staff at the Command and Staff College, Jaji – Kaduna, Nigeria from 2012 – 2014 and returned to the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (Senior Division), where he served as the Chief Instructor from 2014 – 2015.
Additionally, he served as the Director, Lands Operations at the General Headquarters, Department of Joint Operations, before being seconded to the Rwanda Armed Forces Command and Staff College as Director of Studies from 2015 – 2017.
In Jan 2017, he was appointed as Aide-de-Camp to the former President of the Republic of Ghana – HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, and served in this capacity until January 2023, when he was promoted to the rank of Major General, and appointed as the Commandant of the Training and Doctrine Command, a position he held until October 2023, when he took over as the Commandant of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.
On the 24th of January 2024, he was appointed as the Chief of the Army Staff and subsequently took over Command on the 1 February 2024. He was promoted to the enviable and highly coveted rank of Lieutenant General on Friday 3 January 2025.
Lt Gen Onwona completed all career progression courses commensurate with his rank, which include; the Young Officers’ Course at the Army Combat Training School, Junior Staff Course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Combat Team Commanders’ Course at the Army Combat Training School and Senior Staff Course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.
Other courses include, Public and Non-Public Funds Accounting Course at the Forces Pay Regiment, Military Law Course, Engineer Troop Commanders’ Course at the Royal School of Engineering, United Kingdom, General Staff Training Course in Germany and the Combined Arms Staff Training Course in the United Kingdom.
He served as Troop Commander, GHANBATT 32 on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Mission, Troop Commander, GHANBATT 4 on the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Mission in Liberia, Troop Commander, GHANBATT 1 on the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) Mission, Company Commander, GHANBATT 13 again on ECOMOG, and Deputy Commanding Officer/ Operations Officer, GHANBATT 9, on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
He also served as a Staff Officer with the UNIFIL in 2004, a Military Observer in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) from 1994 – 1996 and Military Observer on MONUSCO from March 2008 – March 2009 as Deputy Force Training Officer.
His civil qualifications include, an International Diploma in Logistics and Transport from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Ghana – Legon and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. Lt Gen Onwona is married with 2 children. He enjoys reading, watching the news, classical music, basketball and hockey.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
