The Ghana Air Force has successfully taken over guard duties at the Presidency effective yesterday.
It took the duty of guarding the seat of government from the Navy at a short but colourful guard-changing ceremony in Accra.
The ceremony saw the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President John Dramani Mahama, in attendance.
Also present were the Ministers for Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah; Interior, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka; Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Hassan Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo; Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah; the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General William Agyapong and other senior officials at the Presidency.
The Changing of the Guard ceremony is a symbolic gesture representing the transfer of responsibility for security regarding guard duties at the Presidency.
Undertaken every quarter in a year, the Air Force would be expected to pass on the responsibility of protecting the Presidency to the Army in July.
It is the first switch of guard responsibility since President Mahama assumed office for his second term following his overwhelming victory at the December 2024 polls.
A cherished military tradition, the ceremony features precision drills that are well-choreographed with a full band.
Taking its origin from the UK, first performed in 1689, Ghana’s change of guard ceremony was instituted on May 5, 2013
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
