The chief of Atwima Hwediem in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of Ashanti Region and immediate family of the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong have observed the 95th birthday of the former Ghanaian military Head of State last Sunday, September 27, 2026 at the late General’s hometown.
General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, born on September 23, 1931, was executed on June 16, 1979, having served as Head of State of Ghana from January 13, 1972, to July 5, 1978, when he was deposed in a palace coup.
Nana Boadi Ababio, Chief of Atwima Hwidiem, who organised the event together with the immediate family, highlighted some of the policies and legacy programmes introduced by the former military leader aimed at bringing development to the country. “It is disturbing to note that if governments today pursued such programmes, Ghanaian youth would not be struggling for non-existent jobs”, he said.
He appealed to the government not to allow the legacies of the former military leader to die off urging the government to create jobs to ensure the total development of the country.
Nana Boadi enumerated some of the legacy programmes initiated by General Acheampong, including Economic and Agricultural Nationalism, Operation Feed Yourself, launched in 1972 to promote agricultural self-reliance, reduce food imports and achieve national food security among others.
Economic Self-Reliance, Championed national resource control by acquiring majority equity shares, often 55 percent, in foreign-owned mining and timber firms and repudiating questionable foreign debts.
Nana Boadi stated that the former military leader also introduced Operation Keep Right to mark Ghana’s historic switch from driving on the left to the right side of the road on August 4, 1974, infrastructure and Social Development, major housing projects across the country, including the Dansoman Estate in Accra and other regional housing developments.
The late Acheampong also constructed regional hospitals and expanded local educational pathways, including infrastructure for medical and technical training. The Chief of Atwima Hwediem indicated that General Acheampong introduced Cultural and National Pride, permitted the repatriation and state burial of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who died in exile in 1972.
Nana Boadi noted that General Acheampong was born in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region and had his early education at Trabuom Elementary School, St. Peter’s Catholic School in Kumasi, and the Central College of Commerce at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.
He enlisted in the Gold Coast Frontier Force as a recruit in 1951 and rose through the ranks to become one of the most influential officers in the Ghana Armed Forces.
According to him, he led the country under the National Redemption Council (NRC), which was later transformed into the Supreme Military Council (SMC) on October 9, 1975.
He said General Acheampong, together with Generals Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa and Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo and other senior military officers, was executed by firing squad after the June 4, 1979 uprising led by Captain Boakye Djan, which ushered in the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) headed by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.
The family appealed to the government to revisit and sustain some of the visionary policies of General Acheampong, particularly in agriculture, housing and self-reliance, as a means of addressing current economic challenges.
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