View source for Supreme Military Council (Ghana)

{{Infobox executive government
| government_name  = Supreme Military Council
| nativename = <!-- wrap with {{Lang}} -->
| border = <!-- for clarification, options are "devolved" (for UK use), "federal", "central" -->
| image = <!-- filename only -->
| image_size = 
| alt =
| image2 = <!-- up to | image4 = -->
| image_size2 = <!-- up to | image_size4 = -->
| alt2 = <!-- up to | alt4 = -->
| caption = 
| date_established = {{Start date|1975|10|09|df=y}}
| date_dissolved = {{End date|1979|06|04|df=y}}
| state = [[Ghana]]
| country = <!-- if neither state nor polity are accurate terms of description -->
| polity = <!-- if polity governed is not a state (e.g. subdivision of a state) -->
| leader_title = [[Chairman]] ([[Ignatius Kutu Acheampong]])
| appointed = <!-- appointer -->
| main_organ = 
| ministries = 
| responsible = <!-- responsible to parliament/president/monarch? -->
| budget = <!-- annual budget of the government -->
| address = [[Accra]]
| url = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} or {{Official URL}} -->
}}
{{Politics of Ghana}}
The '''Supreme Military Council (SMC)''' was the ruling government of Ghana from 9 October 1975 to 4 June 1979. Its chairman was [[Ignatius Kutu Acheampong|Colonel I.K. Acheampong]]. He was also the [[Head of state of Ghana]] due to his chairmanship.

== SMC I and II ==

The period of the SMC can be divided into two eras. These are :
*Acheampong era - SMC - 1 (October 9, 1975 - July 5, 1978)
*Akuffo era - SMC 2 - (July 5, 1978 - June 4, 1979)

==Formation of the Supreme Military Council==
On 9 October 1975, the [[National Redemption Council]] was replaced by the [[Supreme Military Council, Ghana|Supreme Military Council]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-76830 |title= Ghana |access-date=2007-03-20 |year=2007 |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica }}</ref> Its composition consisted of Acheampong, the chairman, and the others including all the military service commanders such as [[Fred Akuffo|Lt. Gen. Akuffo]] the [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Ghana)|Chief of Defence Staff]], and the army, navy, air force and Border Guards commanders respectively. Some officers were promoted, some changed portfolios and many others were dropped.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} The Commanders of the First and Second Infantry Brigades of the [[Ghana Army]] were also included.<ref name="SMCOldOrderChangeth">{{cite book |title=Jubilee Ghana : a 50-year news journey thro' graphic. |date=2006 |publisher=Graphic |location=Accra |isbn=9988809786 |page=195}}</ref> It is thought that this coup removed Agbo, Baah and Selormey whom Acheampong had begun to see as a threat. It also made the various service commanders in charge of both the military and the state as there had been some tensions between relatively junior officers in government and the senior commanders of the Armed Forces.<ref name="singh">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Naunihal |title=Seizing power : the strategic logic of military coups |date=26 August 2014 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=978-1421413365 |pages=89 & 139}}</ref>

==Union government==
Acheampong introduced the Union Government concept which will see both the military and civilians involved in government. An ad hoc committee was set up under the [[Attorney General of Ghana]], [[Gustav Koranteng-Addow]] to come up with a plan. The Koranteng-Addow committee reported after collating views from around the country that the people of Ghana wanted <blockquote>"a form of representative government of the people, having as its philosophical foundation the concepts of national unity and consensus, and selecting its functionaries from  all levels and sections of the community on a basis other than membership of an institutionalised political party or parties".</blockquote> It also advocated for an Executive President and Vice President and a single legislative chamber to be elected by universal adult suffrage. It also suggested a Council of State comprising the [[Chief of Defence Staff, Ghana|Chief of Defence Staff]], the [[Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service|Inspector General of Police]] and representatives of the House of Chiefs. There was some opposition to this concept. It was put to a national referendum on 30 March 1978. One person who voiced concerns about the plans of the government was [[Akwasi Afrifa|Lt. Gen. Akwasi Afrifa]] who was the [[Head of state of Ghana]] and Chairman of the [[National Liberation Council]] between 1967 and 1969. He stated in a letter to Acheampong and published in the Daily Graphic newspaper of 1 February 1978 among others that <blockquote>...I feel greatly disturbed about the future after your government... ...In order to discourage the military from staging coups in the future, how about if they line all of us up and shoot us one by one? ... I do not certainly want to be arrested, given some sort of trial and shot. These are genuine fears. All members of the N.L.C., including Gen. [[Joseph Ankrah]], are involved. I still have no regrets whatsoever about my part in the operations of 1966. My fears even increase when I look at the Koranteng-Addow Report as a whole. I do not like the Union Government as proposed in the report. The political forces militating against it are too strong.  ... I do not see how I can be SECURE in the Union Government. I do not also see how you yourself can be secure in that government....<ref>{{cite book |title=Jubilee Ghana : a 50-year news journey thro' graphic. |date=2006 |publisher=Graphic |location=Accra |isbn=9988-8097-8-6 |pages=206}}</ref></blockquote>
The SMC went on to organise the [[1978 Ghanaian governmental referendum|Union Government referendum]] on 30 March 1978. The SMC's union government won the referendum. The [[Electoral Commission of Ghana|Electoral Commission Commissioner]], Justice [[Isaac Kobina Abban|I. K. Abban]] went into hiding for his own safety. Four days later, he was accompanied by the Catholic Archbishop of [[Cape Coast]], [[John Kodwo Amissah]] and Hilary Senoo of the Catholic Secretariat and the Rev. M. C. Awotwe Pratt of the [[Methodist Church of Ghana|Methodist Church]]. Acheampong assured Abban that he had nothing against him and that he could go back to the bench.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jubilee Ghana : a 50-year news journey thro' graphic. |date=2006 |publisher=Graphic |location=Accra |isbn=9988-8097-8-6 |pages=204–208}}</ref>

==Opposition==
In November 1975, [[Joseph Henry Mensah|J. H. Mensah]], [[Minister for Finance and Economic Planning|Finance Minister]] in the [[Busia government]] was jailed by an Accra Special Court together with Kwame Karikari, a former private secretary of Busia and [[Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye|I. C. Quaye]], a former [[Progress Party (Ghana)|Progress Party]] MP for Ayawaso between 1969 and 1972 for publishing material against the SMC.<ref name="SMCOldOrderChangeth"/> In September 1976, the [[Ghana Bar Association]] asked the SMC to abolish the military tribunals in the country and also to initiate steps towards returning the country to civilian rule.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jubilee Ghana : a 50-year news journey thro' graphic. |date=2006 |publisher=Graphic |location=Accra |isbn=9988-8097-8-6 |pages=198}}</ref> Groups which had campaigned against Union government, including the [[People's Movement for Freedom and Justice]] (PMFJ), The Third Force and the Front for Prevention of Dictatorship were banned shortly after the referendum. The PMFJ was formed in January 1978 and led by [[Komla Gbedemah]], Akwasi Afrifa and [[William Ofori Atta]]. Gbedemah, Ofori Atta, [[Victor Owusu]], [[John Bilson (politician)|John Bilson]] and [[Adu Boahen]] were placed in detention. Others opposed to union government and the SMC went into exile. Opposition and discontent within the military and the general population continued throughout 1978.<ref name="doansah">{{cite book |last1=Owusu-Ansah |first1=David |title=Historical Dictionary of Ghana |date=2005 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-0-8108-5328-7 |page=lvii |edition=3rd |chapter=Chronology}}</ref> At the start of the Union government project, two officers who raised concerns were removed. They were [[Chemogoh Kevin Dzang|Rear Admiral C. K. Dzang]], Navy commander and Brigadier [[Joseph Nunoo-Mensah]].<ref name="singh1">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Naunihal |title=Seizing power : the strategic logic of military coups |date=2014 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=978-1421413365 |page=99}}</ref>

==Palace coup==
There had been growing tension within the military as with the worsening economic situation and the aftermath of the referendum that was widely believed to be rigged, many soldiers felt that the reputation of the military was being tarnished by politics and that the military had to return to barracks. Some senior officers in the SMC tried to raise this issue but Acheampong blamed the military hierarchy for loss of military prestige. Akuffo initiated a plot to replace Acheampong under the pretext of the meetings of the Military Advisory Council and it ended with [[Joy Amedume|Rear Admiral Amedume]] chairing a meeting where senior officers agreed for the need for the withdrawal of the military from government. The meeting moved to the residence of Acheampong where Akuffo read a speech informing Acheampong that the armed forces wanted him to step down. He was forced to sign a resignation letter after being convinced that he no more had the support of his colleagues.<ref name="singh2">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Naunihal |title=Seizing power : the strategic logic of military coups |date=2014 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=978-1421413365 |pages=99–101}}</ref> On 5 July 1978, it was announced to the nation that Acheampong had resigned as chairman of the SMC and had also voluntarily retired from the [[Ghana Armed Forces]]. This was done apparently in the interest of the nation. He was replaced by Lt. Gen. Akuffo who was the Chief of Defence Staff. Major General [[Robert Kotei|R. E. A. Kotei]], the Army Commander became the new Chief of Defence Staff. Brigadier [[Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington|N. A. Odartey-Wellington]] was promoted to major general and made the new army commander. Colonel I. K. Amoah replaced Odartey-Wellington as commander of the First Infantry Brigade, thus becoming a member of the NRC. Brigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, chief of staff at the Ministry of Defence was also made a member of the NRC.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jubilee Ghana : a 50-year news journey thro' graphic. |date=2006 |publisher=Graphic |location=Accra |isbn=9988-8097-8-6 |pages=210}}</ref>

==15 May 1979 mutiny==
Towards the end of the SMC2 era, discontent had led to a national strike by nurses. Lower ranks in the army also felt disillusioned about pay and were convinced that resources meant for them were being siphoned off by corrupt senior officers. There was a growing feeling that these officers should not be allowed to return to the barracks without being punished for the ill-gotten gains. There were apparently multiple coup plots but the first to act was that led by [[Jerry Rawlings|FLight Lt. Jerry Rawlings]], an Air Force officer who was charismatic and very popular with his enlisted men. On 15 May 1979, he initiated the mutiny. They held a number of hostages at the air force base. He and his colleagues were surrounded by the armoured regiment led by Major Abubakar Sulemana, their commander and subsequently arrested.<ref name="singh3">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Naunihal |title=Seizing power : the strategic logic of military coups |date=2014 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=978-1421413365 |chapter=6 Coups form the Bottom - Ghana, May 1979 |pages=156–159}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Jubilee Ghana : a 50-year news journey thro' graphic. |date=2006 |publisher=Graphic |location=Accra |isbn=9988-8097-8-6 |pages=215}}</ref> The public prosecutor during their trial was [[George Emmanuel Kwesi Aikins|G. E. K. Aikins]]. His remarks were critical of military rule in Ghana and painted Rawlings as "an idealist motivated by nationalism and a concern for the poor". This gave Rawlings positive publicity both in the army and among the general public.
 
==Overthrow of the SMC==
An alternative coup plot by a group known as the Free Africa Movement involved junior officers and other ranks. They were planning for a coup for a much later date. Their leader was [[Kojo Boakye-Djan|Major Boakye-Djan]] of the Fifth Infantry Battalion. One of his team, Corporal Peter Tasiri, initiated the plot for a coup. He was arrested together with Lt. Baah Achamfuor, whom they had tried to recruit. Some of his colleagues who managed to avoid arrest arranged a jail break to release Rawlings and his colleagues. A guard and one of the conspirators were reportedly killed at this stage. Rawlings was released and announced the coup but there appeared to be a lot of confusion as there was no clear leadership for the coup attempt throughout the day. Captain Henry Smith of the First Infantry Battalion helped with ammunition. One of the SMC members, the Army Commander [[Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington|Major General Odartey-Wellington]] led the effort to stop the mutiny. He announced at one stage that the coup had been quelled and requested a meeting with Rawlings. He was however killed later in a gun battle at the Nima Police Station which he was using temporarily as his base. In the evening, [[Joshua Hamidu|Lieutenant General Joshua Hamidu]], the Chief of Defence Staff announced that the SMC government had been overthrown.<ref name="singh4">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Naunihal |title=Seizing power : the strategic logic of military coups |date=2014 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=978-1421413365 |chapter=6 Coups form the Bottom - Ghana, June 1979 |pages=162–170}}</ref>

== Members of the Acheampong government (SMC 1)==
The council consisted of the Head of state and all service commanders of the Ghana Armed Forces. The head of the police was also included. Many members of the government changed portfolios while others were dropped.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:left; margin:1em auto;" 
|-
| colspan=6 bgcolor=ccccff |

=== SMC I members (October 1975 to July 1978) ===
|-
! width=200 | Office
! width=400 | Name
! width=150 | Start
! width=150 | End
|-
| [[List of heads of state of Ghana|Head of state]] and Chairman || [[Ignatius Kutu Acheampong|Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong]]<small>(General on 7 March 1976)</small> || 9 October 1975 || 5 July 1978
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Ghana)|Chief of the Defence Staff]] || [[Lawrence Okai|Major General Lawrence Okai]]<small> (later Lieutenant General)</small>||9 October 1975 || November 1976
|-
|[[Fred Akuffo|Lieutenant General Fred W. K. Akuffo]] ||November 1976 || July 1978
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Ghana army|Chief of Army Staff]] || Brigadier Fred W. K. Akuffo <small>(later Lieutenant General)</small>||9 October 1975 || November 1976
|-
|[[Robert Kotei|Major General Robert E. A. Kotei]] ||November 1976 || 5 July 1978
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Ghana Navy|Chief of Naval Staff]] || [[C.K. Dzang|Captain C. K. Dzang]] <small>(later Rear Admiral)</small>||9 October 1975 || June 1977
|-
|[[Joy Amedume|Rear Admiral Joy Amedume]]  || June 1977 || July 1978
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Ghana Air Force|Chief of Air Staff]] || [[Charles Beausoliel|Brigadier Charles Beausoliel]]||9 October 1975 || 11 November 1976
|-
|[[George Yaw Boakye|Air Vice Marshal George Yaw Boakye]] ||12 November 1976 || 5 July 1978
|-
| Border Guards Commander || [[Edward Kwaku Utuka|Colonel E. K. Utuka]] <small>(later Major General )</small>|| 9 October 1975 || ?
|-
| [[Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service|Inspector General of Police]] || [[Ernest Ako]]||9 October 1975 || July 1978
|-
|}

==The reconstituted National Redemption Council==
The various commissioners were designated as members of the reconstituted National Redemption Council (NRC) as membership of the SMC was now limited to the Head of State, the Inspector General of Police and the various military service commanders and the Border Guards commander only. The Commanders of the First and Second Infantry Brigades were also included in the NRC under the SMC. Eleven members of the NRC government including [[Edward Nathaniel Moore|E. N. Moore]] who had been present since January 1972 as well as various ten other military officers were dropped.<ref name="SMCOldOrderChangeth"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:left; margin:1em auto;" 
|-
| colspan=4 bgcolor=ccccff |

=== Military commanders (NRC members)===
|-
! width=200 | Office
! width=400 | Name
! width=150 | Start
! width=150 | End
|-
| rowspan=2| First Infantry Brigade Commander || [[Neville Odartey-Welllington|Colonel N. A. Odartey-Wellington]] <small>(later Major General)</small>|| 9 October 1975 || ?
|-
| Colonel I. K. Amoah<ref name="KutuResigns">{{cite book |title=Jubilee Ghana : a 50-year news journey thro' graphic. |date=2006 |publisher=Graphic |location=Accra |isbn=9988809786 |page=210}}</ref> || 5 July 1978 || ?
|-
| Second Infantry Brigade Commander ||  ||  ||
|-
| Chief of Staff, Ministry of Defence || Brigadier Nunoo Mensah<ref name="KutuResigns"/> || 5 July 1978 || ?
|-
| colspan=6 bgcolor=ccccff |

===List of commissioners (NRC members) ===
|-
! width=200 | Office
! width=400 | Name
! width=150 | Start
! width=150 | End
|-
| [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ghana)|Commissioner for Foreign Affairs]] || [[Roger Felli|Colonel Roger Felli]]<ref name="Commissioners">{{cite journal |title=Commissioners of State as at Sept. 1, 1978 |journal=Ghana News |date=September 1978 |volume=7 |issue=8 |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QEIuAQAAIAAJ&dq=G+K+Amevor&pg=RA20-PA13 |access-date=31 March 2020 |publisher=Embassy of Ghana |location=Washington DC}}</ref> || 9 October 1975 || ?
|-
| rowspan=2|[[Minister for the Interior (Ghana)|Commissioner for Internal Affairs]]<br />[[Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service|Inspector General of Police]] || [[Ernest Ako]]||9 October 1975 || July 1978
|-
|[[Benjamin Samuel Kofi Kwakye|B. S. K. Kwakye]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> ||July 1978 || June 1979
|-
| rowspan=2| [[Minister for Defence (Ghana)|Commissioner for Defence]] || [[Ignatius Kutu Acheampong|Colonel Kutu Acheampong]] ||  9 October 1975 || July 1978
|-
| [[Fred Akuffo|Lt. General Fred W. K. Akuffo]]<ref name="Commissioners"/>|| July 1978 || June 1979
|-
| [[Attorney General of Ghana|Attorney-General]] and<br />Commissioner for Justice|| [[Gustav Koranteng-Addow]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || 9 October 1975 || January 1979
|-
|rowspan=3| [[Minister for Finance and Economic Planning|Commissioner for Finance and Economic Affairs]] || Colonel Kutu Acheampong||9 October 1975 || ?
|-
|[[Robert K. A. Gardiner|Robert Gardiner]]||14 October 1975 || May 1978
|-
| Colonel E. T. Oklah<ref name="Commissioners"/> || 1978 || July 1979
|-
| rowspan=2| Commissioner for Economic Planning || Lt Col. [[Kwame Baah (politician)|Kwame Baah]] || 9 October 1975 || ?
|-
|[[Joseph Leo Seko Abbey|J. L. S. Abbey]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> ||1978 || July 1979
|-
|rowspan=4| [[Minister for Local Government (Ghana)|Commissioner for Local Government]] || [[Kwame Agbo|Lt. Col. K. B. Agbo]] ||9 October 1975 || 1975
|-
|Lt. Col. [[B. K. Ahlijah]]||? || ?
|-
|[[K. A. Jackson|Lt. Col. K. A. Jackson]]||? ||?
|-
|[[C. K. Tedam]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
|rowspan=3| [[Minister for Food and Agriculture (Ghana)|Commissioner for Agriculture]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Heads of MoFA|url=http://mofa.gov.gh/site/?page_id=6713|work=Official website|publisher=Ministry of Food and Agriculture|access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref>  || [[Paul Nkegbe|Lt. Col. Paul K. Nkegbe]]||9 October 1975 || 1979
|-
|[[Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington|Major General N. A. Odartey-Wellington]]||1978 || 1978
|-
|[[Samuel Akwagiram|Colonel Samuel Akwagiram]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || 1978 || 1979
|-
|rowspan=3| [[Minister for Health (Ghana)|Commissioner for Health]] || [[Anthony Hugh Selormey|Lt. Colonel Anthony Selormey]]||9 October 1975 || 14 October 1975
|-
|[[Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington|Major General N. A. Odartey-Wellington]] || 14 October 1975 || 
|-
| [[Abeifaa Karbo|Abayifa Karbo]]<ref name="Commissioners"/><ref name="karbo">{{cite web |title=State Burial for Naa Abeifaa Karbo |url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/70314/1/state-burial-for-naa-abeifaa-karbo.html |website=Modern Ghana |access-date=8 November 2021 |language=en |date=18 January 2005}}</ref> || July 1977|| November 1978
|-
|rowspan=2| Commissioner for Labour, Social Welfare and Co-operatives|| [[Joy Amedume|Commander Joy Amedume]]||9 October 1975 || ?
|-
|[[Nii Anyetei Kwakwranya]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
|rowspan=4| Commissioner for Lands and Mineral Resources || [[T. T. Kutin|Group Captain T. T. Kutin]]||9 October 1975 ||?
|-
|[[K. Osei-Boateng|Brigadier K. Osei-Boateng]]||? ||
|-
|[[Abdulai Ibrahim (soldier)|Lt. Col. Abdulai Ibrahim]]||? ||
|-
| [[George Benneh]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Minister for Trade and Industry (Ghana)|Commissioner for Industry]] || [[George Minyila|Colonel George Minyila]]|| 9 October 1975 || ?
|-
|[[B. K. Ahlijah|Colonel B. K. Ahlijah]]<ref name="Commissioners"/><ref name="otumfuo">{{cite news |editor1-last=Nkrumah |editor1-first=I. K.  |title=Ahlijah Calls on Otumfuo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWWsr7MIVXQC&dq=G+K+Amevor&pg=PP6 |access-date=31 March 2020 |work=Newspaper |agency=Daily Graphic |issue=7968 |publisher=Graphic Communications Group Ltd |date=2 June 1976}}</ref> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Ministry of Works and Housing (Ghana)|Commissioner for Works and Housing]] || [[K. A. Jackson|Lt. Col. K. A. Jackson]]<ref>{{cite news |editor1-last=Nkrumah |editor1-first=I. K.  |title=Jackson inspects new court house |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWWsr7MIVXQC&dq=G+K+Amevor&pg=PP6 |access-date=31 March 2020 |work=Newspaper |agency=Daily Graphic |issue=7968 |publisher=Graphic Communications Group Ltd |date=2 June 1976}}</ref>||9 October 1975 || ?
|-
|[[Edward Yirimambo|Major Edward Yirimambo]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
| [[Minister for Trade and Industry (Ghana)|Commissioner for Trade and Tourism]] || [[K. A. Quarshie|Colonel K. A. Quashie]]<ref name="Commissioners"/><ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Nkrumah |editor-first1=I. K. |title=Don't Sell Only Single Items |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VDZsaXllA54C&dq=%22major+kwame+asante%22+dead&pg=RA1-PP4 |access-date=28 December 2021 |work=Daily Graphic |issue=7981 |publisher=Graphic Communications Group |date=17 June 1976 |language=en}}</ref> || 9 October 1975  || ? 
|-
|rowspan=4| [[Minister for Communications (Ghana)|Commissioner for Transport and Communications]] || [[D. A. Iddisah|Colonel David A. Iddisah]]|| 9 October 1975 || ?
|-
|[[T. T. Kutin|Group Captain T. T. Kutin]]|| ||
|-
|[[Eric Dwemoh|Eric R.K. Dwemoh]] ||  ||
|-
| George Harlley<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
| [[Minister for Education (Ghana)|Commissioner for Education and Culture]]|| [[Ellis Owusu-Fordwor]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || 9 October 1975 || 1979
|-
| [[Minister for Education (Ghana)|Commissioner for Education, Culture and Sports]] || [[Paul Nkegbe|Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Nkegbe]] || 9 October 1975 || ?
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Minister for Information (Ghana)|Commissioner for Information]] ||[[Robert Kotei|Brigadier Robert E. A. Kotei]]||9 October 1975 || November 1976
|-
|[[Parker Yarney|Colonel Parker H. S. Yarney]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
| rowspan=2| Commissioner for Sports || Colonel Kutu Acheampong || 9 October 1975 || 1978
|-
| E. R. K. Dwemoh<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
| Commissioner for Cocoa Affairs || [[J. A. Kyeremeh|Captain J. A. Kyeremeh]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || 9 October 1975 || 1979
|-
| Commissioner for Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs|| [[Kofi Badu]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
| Commissioner for Fuel and Power || [[Abdulai Ibrahim|Lieutenant-Colonel Abdulai Ibrahim]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || ||
|-
| Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs || [[Fred Akuffo|Lt. General Fred W. K. Akuffo]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
| Commissioner for NRC Affairs || [[E. K. Buckman]]<ref name="Commissioners"/> || ||
|-
| Commissioner and Special Advisor to the Head of State || [[Joe Appiah]] ||  ||
|-
| Commissioner for Special Duties || Lt. Colonel C. S. C. Grant<ref name="Commissioners"/> || {{circa|1978}} ||
|-
| colspan=4 bgcolor=ccccff |

=== Regional Commissioners ===
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Ashanti Regional Minister|Ashanti Regional Commissioner]] || Major L. K. Kodjiku<ref name="otumfuo"/> || October 1975 || 1977
|-
| Commander G. E. Osei<ref>{{cite book |author1=Obed Asamoah |author-link=Obed Asamoah |title=The Political History of Ghana (1950-2013): The Experience of a Non-Conformist |date=20 October 2014 |publisher=AuthorHouseUK |isbn=978-1496985620 |page=243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O28ZBQAAQBAJ&dq=Commander+G+E+Osei+Ghana&pg=PA243 |access-date=12 April 2020}}</ref> || 1977 || 1978 
|-
| Colonel R. K. Zumah<ref name="regional">{{cite journal |title=Regional Commissioners as at Sept. 1, 1978 |journal=Ghana News |date=September 1978 |volume=7 |issue=8 |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QEIuAQAAIAAJ&dq=G+K+Amevor&pg=RA20-PA13 |access-date=31 March 2020 |publisher=Embassy of Ghana |location=Washington DC}}</ref> || 1978 ||1979 
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[Brong Ahafo Region]] || Lt. Col. O. K. Abrefa || October 1975 || 1977
|-
| [[William Adjei Thompson]] || 1977||1978
|-
|R. K. Zumah
|July 1978
|October 1978
|-
| Lt. Commander [[L. K. Awuku]]<ref name="regional"/> || October 1978 || 1979
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Central Regional Minister|Central Regional Commissioner]] || Major [[J. A. Awuni]] || 1975|| 1977
|-
|Commander [[John A. K. Otoo]] || 1977 || 1978
|-
|Lt Colonel [[William Adjei Thompson]]<ref name="regional"/> || 1978 || 1979
|-
|rowspan=4|[[Eastern Regional Minister|Eastern Regional Commissioner]] || Colonel [[Kweku Adade Takyi]] || 9 October 1975 || 1977
|-
|Lt. Col. [[George Minyila]] || 1973|| 1975
|-
|Commander [[G. E. Osei]] || 1977 || 1978
|-
|Lt. Colonel [[Obed Kwabena Abrefa]]<ref name="regional"/> || 1978 || 1979
|-
|rowspan=3| [[Greater Accra Regional Minister|Greater Accra Regional Commissioner]] || Lt. Col. [[William Adjei Thompson]] || 9 October 1975 || 1977 
|-
|Lt. Colonel [[L. K. Kodjiku]] || 1977 ||1978 
|-
|Commander [[G. E. Osei]]<ref name="regional"/> || 1978|| 1979 
|-
| rowspan=2|[[Northern Regional Minister|Northern Regional Commissioner]] || Major R. K. Zumah || 9 October 1975 || 1978 
|-
|Lt. Colonel [[L. K. Kodjiku]]<ref name="regional"/> || 1978 || 1979 
|-
|rowspan=2| Upper Region || Lt. Col. [[Michael Ofori-Akuamoah]] || 9 October 1975 || 1978 
|-
|Lt. Colonel [[Samuel Gyabaah]]<ref name="regional"/> || 1978 || 1979
|-
| [[Volta Regional Minister|Volta Regional Commissioner]] || Lt. Col. [[G. K. Amevor]]<ref name="regional"/><ref>{{cite news |editor1-last=Nkrumah |editor1-first=I. K.  |title=You are welcome! |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWWsr7MIVXQC&dq=G+K+Amevor&pg=PP6 |access-date=31 March 2020 |work=Newspaper |agency=Daily Graphic |issue=7968 |publisher=Graphic Communications Group Ltd |date=2 June 1976}}</ref> || 9 October 1975|| 1979
|-
|rowspan=3 | [[Western Region, Ghana|Western Region]] || Lt.Commander [[John A.K. Otoo]] || 1975 || 1976
|-
| Lt. Col. [[E. J. Dawuni]] || 1976|| 1977
|-
|[[J. S. Y. Amenlemah]]<ref name="regional"/> || 1978 || 1979
|-
|} 
 
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
! width=250 | Office
! width=200 | Name
! width=200 | Dates
! width=200 | Notes 
|-
| Secretary to the Cabinet|| [[Gilbert Boafo Boahene]]||1978-1979 ||
|-
|}

== Members of Akuffo government (SMC 2)==
Following a bloodless palace coup on 5 July 1978, the SMC was reconstituted. General Acheampng was forced to resign as head of state and placed under house arrest. This government remained in power until its overthrow eleven months later by the [[Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, Ghana|Armed Forces Revolutionary Council]] on 4 June 1979.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center; margin:1em auto;" 
|-
| colspan=6 bgcolor=ccccff |

=== SMC II members (July 1978 to June 1979) ===
|-
! width=200 | Office
! width=400 | Name
! width=150 | Start
! width=150 | End
|-
| [[List of heads of state of Ghana|Head of state]] and Chairman || Lieutenant General Fred W. K. Akuffo<ref name="SMCmembers">{{cite journal |title=The Re-constituted Supreme Military Council |journal=Ghana News |date=September 1978 |volume=7 |issue=8 |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QEIuAQAAIAAJ&dq=G+K+Amevor&pg=RA20-PA13 |access-date=31 March 2020 |publisher=Embassy of Ghana |location=Washington DC}}</ref> || 5 July 1978 || 4 June 1979
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Ghana)|Chief of the Defence Staff]] || Major General Robert E. A. Kotei||5 July 1978 || 23 July 1978
|-
|[[Joshua Hamidu|Lieutenant General Joshua Hamidu]]<ref name="SMCmembers"/> || 23 July 1978 || 4 June 1979
|-
| [[Ghana army|Chief of Army Staff]] ||[[Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington|Major General Neville Odartey-Wellington]]<ref name="SMCmembers"/>  || 5 July 1978 || 4 June 1979
|-
| [[Ghana Navy|Chief of Naval Staff]] || Rear Admiral Joy Kobla Amedume<ref name="SMCmembers"/>   || 5 July 1978 || 4 June 1979
|-
| [[Ghana Air Force|Chief of Air Staff]] || Air Vice Marshal George Yaw Boakye<ref name="SMCmembers"/>  || 5 July 1978 ||4 June 1979
|-
|rowspan=2| Border Guards Commander || Major General E. K. Utuka||5 July 1978 || 1978
|-
|Major General K. Osei Boateng<ref name="SMCmembers"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Tagoe|first=George|title=Genesis Four|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U5t3TqX4yYwC&dq=Major+General+K.+Osei+Boateng&pg=PA134|publisher=Trafford Publishing|access-date=9 September 2012|date=6 May 2004|isbn=9781553955696}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2018}} || 1978 || 4 June 1979
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service|Inspector General of Police]] || Ernest Ako<ref name="SMCmembers"/> ||July 1978 || July 1978
|-
|[[Benjamin Samuel Kofi Kwakye|B. S. K. Kwakye]] || 17 July 1978 ||  4 June 1979
|}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Ghana governments|Governments of Ghana]]<br />(Military Regime)|before=[[National Redemption Council|National Redemption Council (1972-1975)]]|after=[[Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, Ghana|Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (1979)]]|years=1975&ndash;1979}}
{{s-end}}
{{Ghana governments}} Monday 4 June 1979

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* Some of the information here was originally on [[:de:Supreme Military Council|the German Wikipedia]].

== External sources ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081016095242/http://www.gaf.mil.gh/index.php?CatId=117 Past General Officers Commanding /chiefs of the Defence Staff]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081016095237/http://www.gaf.mil.gh/index.php?CatId=114 Past Army Commanders / Chiefs of Army Staff]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110721031716/http://www.gaf.mil.gh/index.php?CatId=118 Past Chiefs of Naval Staff 1959 - 2000]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110721031702/http://www.gaf.mil.gh/index.php?CatId=119 Past Chiefs of Air Staff]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Ghana governments|Government of Ghana]]<br /><small>(Military Regime)</small>|before=[[National Redemption Council|National Redemption Council (1972–1975)]]|after=[[Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, Ghana|Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (1979)]]|years=October 1975 – June 1979}}
{{s-end}}

{{Ghana governments}}
{{African coups d'état}}

[[Category:1978 in Ghana]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1975]]
[[Category:1979 in Ghana]]
[[Category:Military of Ghana]]
[[Category:Military coups in Ghana]]
[[Category:Governments of Ghana]]
[[Category:Politics of Ghana]]
[[Category:1978 establishments in Ghana]]
[[Category:1979 disestablishments in Ghana]]
[[Category:June 1979 events in Africa]]
[[Category:1970s coups d'état and coup attempts]]
[[Category:Military dictatorships]]