Ghana has a new defence minister, almost exactly a year after a military helicopter crash killed the last person to hold the job.
President John Dramani Mahama moved Kenneth Gilbert Adjei from the works, housing and water resources portfolio to lead the defence ministry, his office announced on Friday.
Adjei is not new to the role. He served as deputy defence minister between 2012 and 2017.
Since August 2025, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson had been covering defence duties in an acting capacity. The vacancy opened after a helicopter went down and killed Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, three other government officials and three members of the air force crew.
Ghana marked the anniversary on Thursday with a memorial service and the unveiling of a cenotaph in Boamah’s honour.
The appointment comes as Ghana faces growing security pressure along its northern borders. Like other West African states, it is dealing with spillover from Islamist insurgencies operating in the Sahel, particularly from Burkina Faso and Mali where attacks have become more frequent.
