Cabinet has approved the National Defence University Bill, 2026, clearing the way for its submission to Parliament.
The development was disclosed during a pre-session briefing in Parliament, where the Deputy Minister of Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi, led a delegation to meet the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor.
The proposed Bill, jointly developed by the Ministries of Defence and Education, seeks to establish a unified authority responsible for awarding degrees, diplomas and certificates across Ghana’s military training institutions.
Mr Dafeamekpor received the delegation on behalf of the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga.
The engagement formed part of ongoing consultations between the Ministry of Defence and parliamentary leadership ahead of the Bill’s presentation to the House.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Brogya Genfi said Cabinet had reviewed and approved the memorandum for the proposed legislation, paving the way for its formal submission to Parliament.
The approval represents another key step in government’s plan to establish the National Defence University of Ghana, an initiative first announced in 2023.
The Ministry of Defence has said the proposed National Defence University Bill is intended to address the lack of a central body to oversee and coordinate tertiary-level military education and training within the Ghana Armed Forces.
If approved by Parliament, the legislation would place institutions including the Ghana Military Academy, the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre under a unified academic system.
At present, the institutions operate independently, with each managing its own accreditation processes. The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College currently awards graduate degrees through a partnership with Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, while the University of Ghana previously handled its postgraduate programmes.
Under the proposed framework, the National Defence University would be empowered to coordinate defence education and grant its own academic qualifications. The ministry said the move would help standardise academic programmes and improve quality assurance across military training institutions.
The university is also expected to offer specialised professional training for personnel of the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Prisons Service and other security agencies.
Speaking during an inspection of the proposed site at Teshie in March 2026, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka said the institution was being positioned to serve as a regional hub for security and defence education in West Africa.
Government has allocated GH¢25 million under the 2026 GETFund budget to support the first phase of construction at the Teshie site.
Plans for the National Defence University were first announced in November 2023 by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, with operations initially expected to begin in 2024.
Although that timeline was not achieved, the university started operating in an acting capacity in early 2025, with Felix Adom Asante serving as Acting President.
As part of preparations for the institution’s full rollout, a delegation from the university visited Kenya’s Joint Command and Staff College in February 2026 to study its operational model.
