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{{short description|Soldier, politician, former Chief of Defence Staff and Head of state of Ghana}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name =Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo
| image =Akuffo.jpg
| imagesize =120x100px
| caption =Lt. Gen. Fred Akuffo
| order =7th [[Head of state of Ghana]]
| term_start =5 July 1978
| term_end =4 June 1979
| deputy =[[Joshua Hamidu|Lt. Gen. Joshua Hamidu]]
| predecessor =[[Ignatius Kutu Acheampong|General Acheampong]]
| successor =[[Jerry Rawlings|Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings]]
| birth_date =21 March 1937
| birth_place =[[Akropong]], [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]]
| death_date ={{death date and age |1979|6|26|1937|3|21|df=yes}}
| death_place =[[Accra]], [[Ghana]]
| death_cause =[[Execution by firing squad]]
| spouse =Mrs. Emily Akuffo
| profession =[[Soldier]]
| signature =
| footnotes =Head of State of a military government

|nickname =
|allegiance =
|branch = [[Ghana Army]]
|serviceyears = 1957 - 1979
|rank = [[Lieutenant General]]
|unit =
|commands = {{Plainlist|
*[[Chief of the Defence Staff (Ghana)|Chief of Defence Staff]]
*[[Chief of Army Staff (Ghana)|Chief of Army Staff]]
*Commander 2nd Infantry Brigade (now Northern Command)
*Commander, 6th Battalion
}}
|battles = [[Congo Crisis]]
|awards =
|military_blank1 = Other
|military_data1 = Organized Operation Keep Right when Ghana changed over to driving on the right in August 1974
|military_blank2 =
|military_data2 =
|military_blank3 =
|military_data3 =
|military_blank4 =
|military_data4 =
|military_blank5 =
|military_data5 =
}}

[[Lieutenant General]] '''Frederick William "Fred" Kwasi Akuffo''' (21 March 1937 – 26 June 1979) was a Ghanaian soldier and politician. He was [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Ghana)|Chief of the Defence Staff]] of the [[Military of Ghana|Ghana Armed Forces]] from 1976 to 1978, and chairman of the ruling [[Supreme Military Council, Ghana|Supreme Military Council]] in [[Ghana]] from 1978 to 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief Profile: Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo |url=http://justiceghana.com/blog/our-services/research-information-and-advisory-advocacy/brief-profile-frederick-william-kwasi-akuffo/ |access-date=2022-08-04 |language=en-US}}</ref> He came to power in a military coup, and was overthrown and executed in another military coup less than a year later.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brief Profile: Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo|url=http://justiceghana.com/blog/our-services/research-information-and-advisory-advocacy/brief-profile-frederick-william-kwasi-akuffo/|publisher=Justice Ghana|access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Fred Akuffo was born at [[Akropong]] in the [[Eastern Region, Ghana|Eastern Region]] of Ghana. He completed his secondary education in 1955 at the [[Presbyterian Boys' Secondary]] School in [[Krobo Odumase|Odumase Krobo]]. He then enlisted in the Ghana Army in 1957 and trained at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|Royal Military Academy]], [[Sandhurst, Berkshire|Sandhurst]], [[UK]] among others, receiving his commission in 1960. He was married to Mrs. [[Emily Akuffo]]. He also attended the [[National Defence College, India|National Defence College]] in [[India]] in 1973.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief Profile: Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo |url=http://justiceghana.com/blog/our-services/research-information-and-advisory-advocacy/brief-profile-frederick-william-kwasi-akuffo/ |access-date=2022-08-04 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Career==
While in the army, he served as commanding officer of the Airborne Training School at [[Tamale, Ghana|Tamale]] and later the 6th Battalion of Infantry of the [[Ghana army|Ghana Army]] between 1969 and 1970. He rose to become the 2nd [[Brigade Commander]]. 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 rose to become the Army Commander in April 1974 and Chief of the Defence Staff in April 1976.

==Politics==
On October 9, 1975, Fred Akuffo was appointed a member of the ruling [[Supreme Military Council, Ghana|Supreme Military Council]] government due to his position as Ghana's army commander. On July 5, 1978, he led a palace coup to overthrow the head of state, General [[Ignatius Kutu Acheamphong|Ignatius Acheampong]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief Profile: Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo |url=http://justiceghana.com/blog/our-services/research-information-and-advisory-advocacy/brief-profile-frederick-william-kwasi-akuffo/ |access-date=2022-08-04 |language=en-US}}</ref> He continued with the ongoing preparations to return Ghana to constitutional rule but his government was also cut short on 4 June 1979 by a military uprising by the junior ranks of the Ghana military led by [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[Jerry Rawlings|Jerry John Rawlings]] and the [[Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, Ghana|Armed Forces Revolutionary Council]] (AFRC).

==Execution==
He was executed along with other senior military officers on 26 June 1979 at the [[Teshie]] Military Range, [[Ghana]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2014/January-10th/rawlings-confesses.php |title=Ghana News - Rawlings confesses "sacrificing" innocent commanders |website=www.myjoyonline.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110142223/http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2014/January-10th/rawlings-confesses.php |archive-date=2014-01-10}} </ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120207002721/http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/presidency/index.php?op=getAkufo Ghana government official website for the celebration of Ghana's 50th anniversary]

==See also==

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Emmanuel Erskine|Brigadier E. A. Erskine]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ghana Army|Chief of Army Staff]] |years=1974 – 1976}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Robert Kotei|Major General Robert Kotei]] }}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lawrence Okai|Major General Lawrence Okai]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of the Defence Staff (Ghana)|Chief of Defence Staff]] |years=1976 – 1978}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Robert Kotei|Major General Robert Kotei]] }}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box|title=[[President of Ghana|Head of state of Ghana]] Military regime|before=[[Ignatius Kutu Acheampong]] Military Head of state|after=[[Jerry Rawlings]] Military Head of state|years=1978–1979}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ignatius Kutu Acheampong|I. K. Acheampong]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Defence (Ghana)|Commissioner for Defence]]|years=1978–1979}}
{{s-aft|after=?}}
{{s-end}}

{{s-end}}

{{Heads of State of Ghana}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akuffo, Fred}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Executed Ghanaian people]]
[[Category:Executed military personnel]]
[[Category:Executed presidents]]
[[Category:Defence ministers of Ghana]]
[[Category:Ghanaian soldiers]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Leaders ousted by a coup]]
[[Category:Leaders who took power by coup]]
[[Category:People executed by Ghana by firing squad]]
[[Category:Heads of state of Ghana]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Army Staff (Ghana)]]
[[Category:Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School alumni]]
[[Category:Ghanaian Presbyterians]]
[[Category:National Defence College, India alumni]]

Fred Akuffo - Revision history

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