Biography of Frederick William Akwasi Akuffo

Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo was born on 21st March,1937 at Akuapem Akropong in the Eastern region of Ghana.

He admitted and completed his secondary education at Presbyterian   secondary School at Krobo Odumasi from 1952-1955 respectively.

After his secondary education he was enlisted as an officer in the Ghana Cadet Army in 1957.

In 1958-60, he admitted into Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, United Kingdom.

In 1967,he went to the staff college in the United Kingdom and was enrolled in the National Defence College, India.

Upon his return to Ghana, Frederick Akuffo became the commanding officer at the Airborne Training School, Tamale in the northern region of Ghana.

He had an opportunity to be the Director General for Operation and Planning at the ministry of Defence in 1970.

In 1972,he was a second Brigade commander and later became the Army Commander in 1974.

In the year 1975, Frederick Akuffo joined the Supreme Military Council (SMC 1) which was headed by Gen.Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.

On July 5th,1978,he became the Chairman of the Supreme Military Council and Head of State of Ghana after staging a successful coup against Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.

The Akuffo regime initiated policies to return the country to civilian rule by instituting a new Constitution. He lifted the ban on politics but banned 105 prominent politicians including J H Mensah, Victor Owusu Imoro Egala, and Kofi Agheli Gbedemah among others.

He supervised the change over of traffic flow in Ghana from driving on the left to driving on the right as part of ‘Operation Keep Right’ which was effected on 4 August 1974. This changeover was successful and largely accident free

He was preparing to return Ghana to constitutional rule but his administration was overthrown on 4 June 1979 by a military uprising by the junior ranks of the Ghana military led by Flt.Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC)

He married to Emelia Akuffo

In 1979,he was executed by firing squad at Teshie,Accra