Cabinet has approved the National Defence University Bill, 2026, for submission to Parliament.
The Bill seeks to establish a single authority to oversee and award academic qualifications across military training institutions in Ghana.
The development was announced after the Deputy Minister of Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi, led a delegation to Parliament for a pre-session briefing with Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor.
Mr Dafeamekpor received the delegation on behalf of Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga.
According to Mr Brogya Genfi, Cabinet approved the memorandum for the Bill before its planned submission to Parliament.
The proposed law is a joint initiative by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education.
If passed, the legislation will create the National Defence University of Ghana to regulate and coordinate tertiary-level military education.
The university would oversee institutions such as the Ghana Military Academy, the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.
Currently, these institutions operate independently and manage their academic accreditation separately.
The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College presently awards graduate degrees through a partnership with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. In the past, the University of Ghana also handled some postgraduate programmes for the college.
Under the new arrangement, the proposed university would have the power to award its own degrees, diplomas, and certificates.
The Ministry of Defence said the move would improve quality control and create uniform academic standards across military institutions.
The proposed university is also expected to train personnel from the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Prisons Service, and other security agencies.
During an inspection at Teshie in March 2026, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the university could become a regional centre for security education in West Africa.
Government has allocated GH¢25 million under the 2026 GETFund budget to support the first phase of construction at the proposed Teshie site.
Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo first announced plans for the university in November 2023.
Although operations did not begin in 2024 as initially planned, the institution started operating in an acting capacity in early 2025 under Air Vice Marshal Felix Adom Asante.
In February 2026, officials from the institution visited Kenya’s Joint Command and Staff College to study its operations as part of preparations for the university’s full establishment.
