Concordance Civil–Military Relations in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

Abstract

Civil–military relations in Ghana have a chequered history; since the first coup of 1966, there had been four military takeovers of political power, in 1969, 1972, 1979, and 1980. Relations are thawing, as evidenced by the fact that there has been no overt attempt at overthrowing a government since 1992. This article employs a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis to explain civil–military relations in Ghana’s Fourth Republic (1992–2018). It argues that there is agreement among three societal partners—political elites, military, and the citizenry on four variables; social composition of the officer corps, political decision–making, and recruitment and military style. Yet focus of the civil–military discourse has been on political elites and military. These two are vital to the political decision process. Although the third partner, the citizenry has a meaningful voice, military–society relations fluctuates over time. There is mixed perceptions among Ghanaian about the armed forces.

Complicating Entanglements: Societal Factors Intruding in the Ghana Armed Forces’ Civil–Military Relations

“…Since the 1966 coup, Ghana has seen four more successful coups and numerous unsuccessful attempts (cf. McGowan, 2003; Salihu, 2020). The second military intervention was General IK Acheampong’s populist, bloodless coup in 1972, while the third was a palace coup orchestrated by conservative army officers led by Acheampong’s deputy General Frederick Akuffo in 1978 but heavily influenced by civil society actors (Oquaye, 2004).…”

“…Literature on African civil–military relations (cf. Baynham, 1978; ‘Bayo Adekson, 1976; Decalo, 1973; Kraus, 1983; Salihu, 2020) primarily illustrates how African militaries have affected African societies through their assistance during colonialism to foreign entities and destabilisation of the continent in the post-colonial era, be it through orchestration of coups, participation in civil wars or support of authoritarian regimes. Although at independence most African states inherited armies that were deemed apolitical or at least had an ‘apolitical façade’ (Parsons, 2003), a large number of militaries across the continent did in fact engage in politics in this period.…”

Revisiting the Civil-Military Conundrum in Africa

“…2 Ghana's political development illustrates this shift: That country experienced four coups d'états from 1966 to 1981 amidst continued economic decline and political instability. Yet as Richard Asante argues in this issue, Ghana in the early 1990 s began a democratic transition that has led to considerably higher levels of political stability and the sustained professionalisation of the Ghana Armed Forces under the control of democratically elected governments (Salihu 2019). While the Ghana case reflects what may be characterised as a more 'proper' mode of civil-military relations, the rest of the continent has shown alternative patterns and pathways, as described by Day and Khisa (this volume).…”

Dynamic Intersection of Military and Society

“…She theorizes that when the level of agreement along these dimensions is high, military intervention is less likely. While her theory is applicable for mature democracies, it has been fruitfully applied in emerging democracies where threats of coups are more immediate (Salihu 2019).…”