Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has formally handed over responsibility for Ghana’s Defence Ministry to Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, following President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to appoint Adjei as the substantive Defence Minister.
The change ends Ato Forson’s period of serving in the defence portfolio alongside his primary responsibility as Finance Minister.
President Mahama appointed Adjei as Defence Minister on August 7, 2026, according to an official statement from the Presidency, replacing the acting arrangement that had been in place since 2025. Reuters also reported the appointment, noting that Adjei previously served as Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources.
Ato Forson assumed the additional Defence responsibility in August 2025 after the death of Defence Minister Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah in the Ghana Air Force helicopter crash.
The arrangement meant that the Finance Minister had to oversee two strategically important portfolios, a situation that attracted calls for President Mahama to appoint a substantive Defence Minister.
In January 2026, IMANI-Africa president Franklin Cudjoe publicly urged the President to release Ato Forson from the additional responsibility so he could concentrate on managing the economy and fiscal policy.
During his tenure at Defence, Ato Forson also chaired the Ministry’s Ministerial Advisory Board, which was established to provide strategic guidance on defence policy, national security priorities and engagement with stakeholders.
Gilbert Adjei returns to the defence sector
For Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, the appointment represents a return to a ministry where he previously served as Deputy Minister of Defence during the first Mahama administration.
He was appointed Deputy Defence Minister in 2015 and served until the change of government in January 2017. He subsequently returned to government as Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources under President Mahama’s current administration.
His new role comes at a time when the Ghana Armed Forces and the Defence Ministry are dealing with issues including military welfare, infrastructure, equipment and broader national-security responsibilities.
Adjei has already demonstrated an interest in military infrastructure. In April 2026, he represented Ato Forson at the launch of the Burma Camp Redevelopment Project, where government announced support for the construction of 50 housing units. The wider initiative targets 2,000 housing units for military personnel as part of a longer-term housing programme.
The change gives the Defence Ministry a dedicated minister at a time when Ato Forson remains responsible for Ghana’s finances and economic policy.
It also separates the leadership of two portfolios that require significant attention, allowing the Finance Minister to focus on fiscal management while Adjei takes direct responsibility for defence policy and the ministry’s engagement with the Ghana Armed Forces.
The transition also provides continuity, given Adjei’s previous experience within the Defence Ministry.
Adjei is expected to formally take charge of the ministry and continue working with the administrative leadership of the Defence Ministry and the Ghana Armed Forces.
