@mrr.governor: Brigadier Joseph Edward Michel was one of the notable pioneers of Ghana’s post-independence military. Born on May 27, 1917, in Peki in the Volta Region, he was the son of Alexander Michel, a French trader, and Afua, a Ghanaian woman. Before joining the military, Michel trained as a teacher at the Presbyterian Training College in Akropong and worked as a schoolmaster in Kpando. He enlisted in the colonial army in 1943 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in April 1947. In 1953, he established and commanded the Boys’ Company in Kumasi, helping to develop future military personnel. Following Ghana’s independence in 1957, Michel served as Aide-de-Camp to President Kwame Nkrumah. He later commanded Ghanaian troops during the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Congo. In 1961, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the UN mission, becoming a significant figure in African military peacekeeping. Tragically, Michel died on September 3, 1961, from injuries sustained in an aircraft crash near Kumasi, aged 44. His contributions are remembered through Michel Camp in Tema, which bears his name.

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Tuesday 20 October 2026 21:47:06 GMT