Fred Akuffo
soldier, politician, former Chief of Defence Staff and head of state of Ghana (1937-1979)
Lieutenant General Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo (21 March 1937 – 26 June 1979) was a Ghanaian soldier and politician who was the Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from 1976 to 1978, and chairman of the ruling Supreme Military Council and the sixth military head of state from 1978 to 1979. He became leader of the government in a palace coup against General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, and was overthrown and executed in another military coup less than a year later.
Early life and education
Fred Akuffo was born at Akropong in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He completed his secondary education in 1955 at the Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School in Odumase Krobo. He then enlisted in the Ghana Army in 1957 and trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK among others, receiving his commission in 1960. He was married to Mrs. Emily Akuffo. He also attended the National Defence College in India in 1973.
Career
While in the army, he served as commanding officer of the Airborne Training School at Tamale and later the 6th Battalion of Infantry of the Ghana Army between 1969 and 1970. He succeeded Colonel John Kabore as the Commander of the Border Guard Unit.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Fred Akuffo” as soldier, politician, former Chief of Defence Staff and head of state of Ghana (1937-1979). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as soldier, politician, former Chief of Defence Staff and head of state of Ghana (1937-1979). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q718234. VIAF identifies the subject as 70231287. The Library of Congress control number is n80094833. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1937, 1979, 1976 and 1978.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fred Akuffo”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fred Akuffo primary sources, Fred Akuffo archive and Fred research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fred Akuffo”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fred Akuffo” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.