Former Defence Minister Lt. General JH Smith Confirmed Dead

A former Minster of Defence and Army Commander of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith, popularly known as JH Smith, has passed away at age 78 years old.

Family sources confirmed that he succumbed to a short illness on the morning of Tuesday, December 19, 2023.

A terse statement issued by his younger brother, Ambassador Victor Smith said, “Funeral arrangements, according to muslim tradition, will be announced as soon as possible.”

The late Lt Gen JH Smith was also a former Minister of Defence during President John Atta Mills‘ term of office from 2009 to 2013 as well as former Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States under the John Mahama administration.

Biography

Joseph Henry Smith was born on 9 January 1945 in Takoradi. Studied at the Achimota School in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana between 1959 and 1963 where he completed the West African School Certificate. He enrolled as an officer cadet at the Ghana Military Academy. He was commissioned 2/Lt on 16th October, 1965 into the Ghana Army Engineer Corps.
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The late Lt Gen JH Smith

He rose through the ranks and became the Commandant of the Military Academy and Training School at Teshie, Accra in 1993. From 1993 to 1996, he was the Commander of the Second Infantry Brigade Group (now known as the Northern Command) with headquarters at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

While in this position, he was appointed Special Task Force Commander to restore law and order in Northern Ghana between January and September 1994 during the Konkomba and Nanumba conflict.

In 1996, Smith served as the Company Commander of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Egypt. He was appointed Chief of Staff of the Ghana Army in 1996 by President Jerry Rawlings. He held this position till 2001. Smith is the only Army Commander to have commanded three formations including two Infantry Brigade Groups. He retired from the military in February 2009 after 39 years.

The late Smith had five children. He was married to Douha Smith.