Imminent changes within some key security agencies, state institutions, and its implications

What will happen within the Electoral Commission?

The Electoral Commission (EC), in my personal opinion, is another state institution that I classify under the security sector because of the role they play in organizing elections and ensuring the process is free and fair.

The end goal is for the citizenry to choose a leader that everyone has voted for. The allegations against some Commissioners affiliated with the then ruling party resulted in heightened tension and the emergence of self-acclaimed vigilantes during the elections held on December 7, 2024.

The aftermath of the elections, particularly the violence orchestrated by certain youths in Damango and elsewhere, attests to the fact that the declaration of results should be done early and swiftly with precise accuracy.

If the EC is to organize transparent, free, and fair elections in 2028 without any drastic reforms in standard operating procedures, such as collation and declaration of results, we are sure to experience violent confrontations in the country during the next elections. Failure to implement reforms would lead to accusations, suspicions, and aggression, resulting in violence.

To prepare for peaceful 2028 general elections, I propose that appointments to the position of Commissioners must be done transparently. Most importantly, the system currently being used to collate results needs to be upgraded.

Any appointee alleged to be part of the ruling party should not be allowed near any position. With that being said, there could be a lineup of petitions aimed at some current Commissioners due to allegations of being affiliated with a certain political party.

Will the President ensure a very transparent process in appointing a new set of Commissioners who would not have any political affiliation and work for the interest of the country? I believe there should be a robust system that makes it difficult for any Commissioner to make changes regarding election processes.

Are we going to experience changes within the Ghana Armed Forces? The question now is: Will the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Ghana Armed Forces maintain the current service chiefs upon their retirement?

We could see a massive shake-up regarding the hierarchy. With promotions to General (four stars), Lieutenant General (three stars), Vice Admiral, and Air Marshal (all three stars), one would conclude that the newly promoted should continue in performing their roles as Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), and Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), respectively. The President has the authority to decide whether to keep them at post or not.

Another question will be whether the President should promote the next crop of Service Chiefs to General, Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral, and Air Marshal, or maintain the old status quo, with the CDS as Lieutenant General and the other service chiefs (COAS, CAS, and CNS) all with two stars.

The Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) needs to consult extensively on the way forward to avoid any internal conflicts within the Ghana Armed Forces. Failure to do so could pose a threat to our security.

The Ghana Police Service and what we expect to happen:

The Ghana Police Service’s internal bickering has attracted unwanted attention. The service could experience a massive shake-up in leadership soon.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) position, which attracted a lot of attention, if sustained, may be a recipe for a clash of egos involving the two top officers, in my personal opinion. However, that position could be maintained depending on a mutual agreement between the appointee and the police hierarchy.

The President has the power to do as he wishes, but in this situation, where allegations of counter instructions within the service between the DIGP and the IGP exist, the President should tread carefully. The Immigration, Prison, and Fire Services will also have changes made regarding the hierarchy.

Ministry of National Security:

The National Security Ministry will definitely see a change in leadership. A new minister will be named, but one with vast experience and no questionable records. We would also see a new head regarding the intelligence bureau.

The President has already named six individuals to oversee and coordinate national security matters. My view is that these individuals could be the same substantive leaders to lead the various security agencies.

Ghana’s Defense Ministry:

As for the incoming Defense Minister, this personality must have experience and knowledge not only on internal security issues and the apparatus of the country but also the professionalism to collaborate with defense counterparts in neighboring states.

This is important because, in the face of threats such as violent extremism, cyberattacks, unconstitutional takeovers, violent ethnic conflicts, and related sub-regional threats, the defense minister must be an astute international expert to build ties with neighboring states for collaboration and intelligence/information sharing, as the president has reiterated the need to build ties with neighboring states.

It is important for the new Defense Minister to command respect from the various heads of the security agencies.

A Special Focus on the Bawku Conflict: The conflict, as I will term it, is on hibernation. With all appointments successfully made within the security sector, we should see a robust conflict resolution approach aimed at resolving the conflict.

First of all, if an audit into the expenditure on operations relating to the Bawku conflict can be done, it will serve as a yardstick and advise the various security heads on which areas to focus on more to end the conflict.

This should not be business as usual. The Chieftaincy Minister should be one who is knowledgeable regarding the historical antecedents of most of the conflicts (i.e., chieftaincy).

The Minister should have added skills in negotiation and mediation, which will inform him or her to be proactive, facilitate solutions, and lead sustained engagements with the conflict actors.

Conclusion:

The Commander-in-Chief has an enormous task to keep the security agencies united against internal and external threats. All these changes must be implemented strategically and must involve multi-stakeholder consultations, taking into account the existential threats we face.

Our security space will be secured so long as we have the interest of the country at heart.

This should not be the usual appointments to appease certain personalities.

The security apparatus must operate in the interest of Ghana to achieve its objectives and not to intimidate the citizenry or unnecessarily target political opponents.