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Other side of priest who prayed for Gen Acheampong before execution
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Rev Fr Col Matthias Dismas Kwame Kumesi (rtd), the priest who prayed for General I.K. Acheampong, a former military head of state, before his execution following the June 4, 1979 uprising led by JJ Rawlings, has spoken about his other activities in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
He says, for instance, that he played a pioneering role that requires a determined character to surmount the challenges involved.
Hecan aptly be described as an extraordinary Catholic Priest who has broken uncharted grounds in the GAF for others to emulate..
He was the first chaplain of the GAF to be granted Presidential Commissioning into this prestigious military institution.
Not content with this achievement, he is on record as the first Chaplain of the GAF to train as a parachutist to rub shoulders with the officers and men who belong to this elite unit of the military.
In an interview with The Spectator at Nkwanta in the Oti Region recently, he said his batch was trained by Canadian Military Officers at the Ghana Military Academy and Training Schools (GMATS), Teshie, and his intake was the last batch of officers to be commissioned in December 1965 by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President, before his overthrow in March 1966.
He explained that chaplains who served in the GAF before him had no formal military training but were only given the military uniform to enable them to perform their pastoral duties.
The former Chaplain-General,who was later designated as the Director of Religious Affairs of the GAF, said after his commissioning, his first posting was to the 6th Battalion of Infantry (6BN) in Takoradi, which was under the Command of then Lt Col Ignatius Kutu Acheampong,, who became a General before he was executed following the June 4, 1979 Revolution.
He said after he had been commissioned into the GAF, he resolved that he would avail himself of all military training programmes and exercises to broaden his knowledge.
Therefore, when the opportunity came in 1971 and he was posted to the Airborne Force in Tamale as the chaplain, he utilised it (opportunity) to train as a parachutist, adding that though the training was difficult from the beginning and many thought he could not endure it because he was a chaplain, he managed to end it successfully.
Rev FrKumesi disclosed that in 1973, when the Rev FrMajor JamesOwusu, the Senior Catholic Chaplain, was appointed the Catholic Bishop of Kumasi Diocese, he was transferred to Accra to replace him.
The former Chaplain-General, whose tenure in office spanned from October 1, 1981 to November 15, 1988 and spent a total of 24 years of meritorious service in the military, said one of his greatest wishes as the Chaplain-General was to have a commissioned officer as the Imam, and he was elated when this wish eventually materialised.
Traumatic Experiences
Recounting some experiences in the military,Col Kumesi said when he was the Chaplain at 6BN, Takoradi, he found Gen Acheampong as a leader who was approachable but very firm.
“I could remember after Gen Joseph Arthur Ankrah’s coup, he called all the officers under his Command into his office while he was waiting for instructions from Accra,” he recollected.
He said some of the officers were later picked up for comments they made in connection with the coup while the officers waited in the Commanding Officer’s Office, inTakoradi.
“Some days after, l was called by the military authorities to give them details about the conversations of those officers who were picked, while we waited in the CO’s office. I told them as a Catholic priest l could not testify against anybody, so l was placed under close arrest three months for disobeying lawful command,” he said.
According to him, after three months, he was given an open arrest for nine months, which meant he could not move out of Accra. He added that it was during this period that some of the Catholic Bishops of Ghana visited him and assured him that they were solidly behind him.
After the ninth month, a military trial was arranged for him and his punishment was delay in his promotion.
From Raymond Kyekye–Nkwanta
African leaders have been urged to strengthen political commitment and domestic investment to end preventable maternal deaths and AIDS by 2030.
The call comes as African health ministers and policymakers meet in Accra to deliberate on health financing, health security and universal health coverage across the continent.
Mr Edouard Bizimana, Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the African Union’s (AU) 25th Extraordinary Summit on Health in Accra.
He said Africa needed increased domestic investment to build resilient health systems as it continued to grapple with infectious diseases and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Mr Bizimana, who is also Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, said although Africa accounted for nearly 17 per cent of the world’s population, it bore 24 per cent of the global disease burden while having less than three per cent of the global health workforce and only one per cent of global health expenditure.
“Despite maternal mortality declining by nearly 40 per cent since 2000, Africa still accounts for about 70 per cent of maternal deaths globally, while almost two-thirds of people living with HIV reside on the continent,” he said.
Mr Bizimana said the growing burden of NCDs was placing additional pressure on already stretched health systems.
“These figures are not merely statistics. They represent painful human realities, preventable losses and unacceptable inequalities, they remind us that health is not an expense it is a strategic investment and a prerequisite for our sovereignty and development. “he said.
Mr Bizimana said recent global health emergencies had exposed Africa’s vulnerability and underscored the need to expand local production of medicines and vaccines, strengthen the health workforce and improve emergency preparedness.
“Our citizens expect resilient health systems where every mother can give birth safely, every child has access to essential healthcare and every African enjoys quality health services regardless of where they live,” he said.
The two-day summit, being held ahead of the 20th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, has brought together health ministers, policymakers and health stakeholders to identify solutions to Africa’s health financing and security challenges.
Madam Florence Samizi, Tanzania’s Deputy Health Minister, called for stronger collaboration among AU Member States to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.
The summit is being held on the theme: “Advancing Justice, Equality and Universal Health Coverage: Ending AIDS, Tuberculosis, Improving Maternal Health, Addressing Endemic Non-Communicable and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa.”
The meeting is expected to adopt the Accra Declaration, a roadmap to strengthen Africa’s health systems and advance health sovereignty by 2030. -GNA
Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Department of Political Science, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato says the imprisonment of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, will have little meaning unless it leads to a broader crackdown on illegal mining.
In a post on his Facebook page on the July 21, 2026, Dr. Zaato said the judgment should mark the beginning of efforts to completely eradicate galamsey and hold all those involved accountable, regardless of their political affiliation.
He said the country must work towards restoring polluted rivers, protecting forests and ensuring that people implicated in illegal mining activities are prosecuted.
According to him, those the President has publicly acknowledged to be involved in galamsey should face prosecution.
He called for the prosecution of district chief executives (DCEs), members of Parliament (MPs) and senior political party officials who have been accused of engaging in or supporting illegal mining.
Dr. Zaato further urged the government to take decisive action to end the destruction of the country’s forests caused by galamsey.
He maintained that the imprisonment of Chairman Wontumi would only have a lasting impact if it results in a comprehensive and impartial fight against illegal mining across the country.
By: Jacob Aggrey
