Ben Forjoe

Benjamin Kofi Amoah Forjoe was a Ghanaian police officer, diplomat and politician.

Ben Forjoe
Commissioner for the Interior
In office 26 June 1979 – August 1979
President	Jerry Rawlings
Preceded by	Benjamin Samuel Kofi Kwakye
Succeeded by	W. C. Ekow Daniels
Ghanaian Ambassador to Togo
In office 1973 – after 1976
President	Colonel Acheampong
Ghanaian Ambassador to Benin
In office 1973 – ?
President	Colonel Acheampong
Personal details
Died	16 July 2013(2013-07-16) (aged 92)
Nationality	Ghanaian
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana

Ben Forjoe was a police officer who also received training from Israel as a counterintelligence officer.[1]

Foreign Service

Forjoe worked with the research (intelligence) bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs[2] and became the Deputy Director of the Research Bureau in 1961. He was later appointed the first Ghanaian director of the Research Bureau the following year.[3] He became the head of the Passport Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in November 1965. In 1973, he was appointed Ghana's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Togo[4] and Benin[5] by the National Redemption Council military government led by Colonel Acheampong.[1] Another Ghanaian diplomat and writer, K. B. Asante who also served under Kwame Nkrumah wrote highly of Forjoe's conduct while in office.[6]

Security service

In 1963, he was appointed to the Bureau of National Investigations (then known as the Special Branch). He became its Director in 1964, a position he held until November 1965.[1] He was earmarked by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to revamp Ghanaian security following the coup d'état on 31 December 1981 by the PNDC.[7]

Politics

Forjoe was appointed the Commissioner for Interior Affairs by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings from June 1979 until August 1979.[5][8] He was appointed Special Coordinator at the Office of the Chairman of the PNDC which was the ruling military government in Ghana in January 1983 under Jerry Rawlings. He continued as Special Coordinator at the Office of the President on the return to constitutional rule under the National Democratic Congress of Jerry Rawlings until he retired in 1996.[1]

Industry

Following his stint in politics, he joined Dorman Long Steel in Ghana as its Managing Director until 1982 when he was recalled by the Ghana government for service.[1]

Honours

In 1997, he was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the highest national award by the Government of Ghana for his meritorious services to the country.[1]

References

1. "Rawlings pays respects to former National Security Chief". GhanaWeb. GhanaWeb. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
2. Thompson, Willard Scott (8 December 2015). Ghana's foreign policy, 1957-1966 : diplomacy, ideology, and the new state. Princeton University Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-0691621913. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
3. Jatuat, Moses. "NATIONAL SECURITY: Role of Intelligence, Institutions and Legal Framework in Ghana". www.academia.edu. Academia. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
4. Nkrumah, I. K. (editor) (11 June 1976). "Think First of the Nation" (Newspaper). Daily Graphic (7976). Accra: Graphic Communications Group Ltd. Retrieved 5 November 2019.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
5. "New Portfolios for Commissioners". Ghana News. 8 (7): 10. July 1979. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
6. Asante, K. B. (5 August 2013). "Existing rules can deal with indiscipline". Graphic Online. Accra: Graphic Communications Group Ltd. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
7. "Ghana: Rawlings Takes Charge Again" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Electronic Reading Room. Central Intelligence Agency. p. 3. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
8. "PAST MINISTER_6". Official Website. Ministry of Interior (Ghana). Retrieved 5 November 2019.

Political offices
Preceded by Benjamin Samuel Kofi Kwakye	Commissioner for the Interior 1979–1979	Succeeded by W. C. Ekow Daniels
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by ?	Ghana's Ambassador to Togo 1973–?	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by ?	Ghana's Ambassador to Benin 1973–?	Succeeded by ?