Ghana has appointed Kenneth Gilbert Adjei as its new Minister of Defence, about a year after the death of his predecessor, Edward Omane Boamah, in a military helicopter crash.
President John Dramani Mahama approved Adjei’s reassignment from the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources to oversee the country’s defence affairs, according to a statement from the presidency on Friday.
Adjei is not new to the defence ministry. He previously served as Deputy Defence Minister between 2012 and 2017, giving him prior experience in the sector.
The Defence Ministry had been temporarily overseen by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson following the August 2025 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, three other government officials and three members of the Ghana Air Force.
The appointment came shortly after Ghana held a memorial ceremony for the victims of the crash. A cenotaph was also unveiled in honour of Boamah during the ceremony.
Adjei assumes the defence portfolio at a time when Ghana, like several other countries in West Africa, is facing growing security concerns linked to militant groups operating in the Sahel.
Extremist organisations active in Burkina Faso and Mali have increasingly been seeking to expand their operations towards coastal West African countries, raising concerns over the potential spread of insecurity into the region.
