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COAS

Chief Of The Army Staff Brief

MAJOR GENERAL BK ONWONA

Major General BK Onwona enlisted into the Ghana Military Academy in November 1985 and was commissioned on 14th August 1987 as part of Regular Career Course 27. On commission as a Second Lieutenant, he was posted to the Field Engineer Regiment as a Troop Commander.
He is currently the Chief of the Army Staff.

Prior to this appointment, Major General BK Onwona had served in various capacities in the Ghana Armed Forces throughout his sterling Military Career. These include Adjutant, Field Engineer Regiment, Adjutant, 48 Engineer Regiment, Adjutant, Engineer Training School, Officer Commanding, 48 Engineer Regiment and Instructor at the Ghana Military Academy. He also served as the Second-in-Command of the 48 Engineer Regiment from June 2004 – January 2006. He served as a Directing Staff at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College from 2006 – 2008 and again from 2009 – 2012, Directing Staff at the Command and Staff College, Jaji – Kaduna, Nigeria from 2012 – 2014 and returned to the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (Senior Division) where he served as the Chief Instructor from 2014 – 2015.

Additionally, he served as the Director Lands Operations at the General Headquarters Department of Joint Operations before being seconded to the Rwanda Armed Forces Command and Staff College as Director of Studies from 2015 – 2017. In Jan 2017, he was appointed as Aide-de-Camp to the President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and served in this capacity until January 2023 when he was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Commandant of the Training and Doctrine Command, a position he held until October 2023 when he took over as the Commandant of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College. On the 24th of Jan 24, he was appointed as the Chief of the Army Staff and subsequently took over Command on the 31st of Jan 24.

Major General Onwona has completed all career progression courses commensurate with his rank. These include, the Young Officers’ Course at the Army Combat Training School, Junior Staff Course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Combat Team Commanders’ Course at the Army Combat Training School and Senior Staff Course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College. Other courses include, Public and Non-Public Funds Accounting Course at the Forces Pay Regiment, Military Law Course, Engineer Troop Commanders’ Course at the Royal School of Engineering, United Kingdom, General Staff Training Course in Germany and the Combined Arms Staff Training Course in the United Kingdom

He has vast International Peace Keeping experience. He served as Troop Commander, GHANBATT 32 on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Mission, Troop Commander, GHANBATT 4 on the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Mission in Liberia, Troop Commander, GHANBATT 1 on the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) Mission, Company Commander, GHANBATT 13 again on ECOMOG, and Deputy Commanding Officer/ Operations Officer, GHANBATT 9, on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He also served as a Staff Officer with the UNIFIL in 2004, a Military Observer in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) from 1994 - 1996 and Military Observer on MONUSCO from March 2008 – March 2009 as Deputy Force Training Officer.

His civil qualifications include, an International Diploma in Logistics and Transport from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Ghana - Legon and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.

Major General Onwona is happily married with 2 children. He enjoys reading, watching the news, classical music, basketball and hockey.