The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian government after the

People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) (PNP; ) is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by Norman Manley, Norman Washington Manley who served as party president unti ...

's elected government was overthrown by

Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (born Jerry Rawlings John; 22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer, aviator, and politician who led the country briefly in 1979 and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1993 and then se ...

, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

on 31 December 1981. He remained in power until 7 January 1993. In a statement, Rawlings said that a "holy war" was necessary due to the PNP's failure to provide effective leadership and the collapse of the national economy and state services. The PNDC was a military dictatorship that induced civilians to participate in governance. Most of its members were civilians. Its policies reflected a revolutionary government that was pragmatic in its approach. The economic objectives of the PNDC were to halt Ghana's economic decay, stabilize the economy, and stimulate economic growth. The PNDC also brought a change in the people's attitude from a 'government will provide' position to participating in nation-building. The PNDC provided a new constitution in 1992 and held elections that year. Rawlings's party, the NDC, won the presidential election with 58% of the vote. The opposition boycotted the subsequent parliamentary elections.

Members

The seven original members of the PNDC from its inception were as follows: * Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings - Chairman * Brigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah - retired Chief of Defence Staff * Reverend Dr. Vincent Kwabena Damuah * Warrant Officer I Joseph Adjei Buadi * Sergeant Daniel Alolga Akata Pore * Joachim Amartey Quaye * Chris Bukari Atim Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah, who had been retired by the Limann government, was recalled as Chief of Defence Staff and the second-in-command of the PNDC. Reverend Damuah was an outspoken priest of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in Ghana. Joachim Amartey Quaye was a labour leader who led a strike at the Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC) and was removed by

Hilla Limann Hilla Limann, (12 December 1934 – 23 January 1998) was a Ghanaian diplomat and politician who served as the eighth president of Ghana from 1979 to 1981. He previously served as a diplomat in Lomé and in Geneva. Education Limann, whose origi ...

's government. Chris Bukari Atim was a student leader and friend of Jerry Rawlings. Adjei Buadi and Akata Pore were junior ranks in the Ghana Air Force.

Departures and replacements

Over the years, some people were added to the membership and others left. A number left in 1982 due to ideological differences. Joachim Amartey Quaye was executed for his involvement in the murder of three senior judges and a retired army officer. Rev. Damuah who was suspended from the Catholic Church because of his involvement in the government left in late 1982 and started his own church later called the Afrikania Mission, an organization devoted to the promotion of

African Traditional Religion The beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse, and include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and are passed dow ...

. Additions * Mrs. Aanaa Naamua Enin- appointed August 1982 * Ebo Tawiah - appointed August 1982 * Naa Polku Konkuu Chiiri - appointed January 1983 * Justice D.F. Annan- appointed 1984 * Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu - appointed October 1984 * Captain (rtd) Kojo Tsikata - July 1985 * P. V. Obeng - July 1985 * Major General Arnold Quainoo * Maj. Gen. Winston C.M. Mensa-Wood * Captain (rtd) Kingsley Bruce * Air Vice Marshal A. H. K. Dumashie * Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant - appointed 1989 * Mrs. Susanna Al-Hassan - appointed 1985 Departures * Brigadier Joseph Nunoo Mensah - resigned 1982 * Rev. Dr. Kwabena Damuah - resigned 1982 * Warrant Officer I Mumuni Seidu- resigned June 1994 * Warrant Officer I Joseph Adjei Buadi - resigned December 1984 * Sergeant Daniel Alolga Akata Pore - 1982 * Joachim Amartey Quaye - executed August 1982 * Chris Bukari Atim - resigned 1982 * Ebo Tawiah * Naa Polku Konkuu Chiiri - died 25 August 1984 * Brigadier W. M. Mensa-Wood - died 1992 * Captain Kingsley Bruce * Mrs. Susanna Al-Hassan - departed 1987 * Mrs. Aanaa Naamua Enin - left in 1989

August 1992 onwards — final membership

* Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings - Chairman * Justice D. F. Annan * Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu * Captain (rtd) Kojo Tsikata * P. V. Obeng * Lieutenant General Arnold Quainoo * Air Vice Marshal Dumashie * Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant

Membership

Secretaries

The officials in charge of the various ministries were designated as Secretaries of state.

References

{{African coups d'État Military of Ghana Military coups in Ghana Governments of Ghana Politics of Ghana 1981 establishments in Ghana 1993 disestablishments in Ghana 1980s coups d'état and coup attempts Military dictatorships