George Minyila

Colonel George Minyila (7 July 1938 – 2016) was a Ghanaian military officer, diplomat and politician who served in various capacities in the National Redemption Council and Supreme Military Council (Ghana) governments as well as the military during his lifetime. He is best remembered for his reforms in the Eastern Region of Ghana, where he was assigned under the policy of former Head of State Ignatius Kutu Acheampong to deploy Ministers to regions they did not hail from.

Early life and education Minyila was born on 7 July 1938, in Navrongo, a town in the Upper East Region of Ghana. He had his secondary education at the Government Secondary School in Tamale (now the Tamale Senior High School) from 1953 to 1957. a position he held until 1 January 1973 when he was transferred to the Eastern Region to serve as Regional Commissioner. During his tenure as Eastern Regional Commissioner, Minyila introduced reforms that transformed the region's infrastructure, including the eviction and relocation of the Zongo community from their slums in the middle of Koforidua, a move that paved the way for the planned settlements and good road networks in the Eastern regional capital. In 1975, when the National Redemption Council was reconstituted as the Supreme Military Council, he was appointed Commissioner for Industries. He served in this capacity until 31 May 1976 when he was moved to the Ministry of Local Government to serve as Commissioner for Local Government. In August 1976, he was appointed Director of Logistics at the Ghana Armed Forces.

However, Minyila's career took a hit in 1977 when he and 13 other military officers were detained on suspicion of plotting a coup to overthrow the then Acheampong government. He was eventually released on 4 August 1978, and his assets and those of his wife were unfrozen on 18 August 1978.

In 2002, Minyila was appointed Ghana's ambassador to Burkina Faso with oversight in Mali. He served in this capacity until 2006.

Personal life Minyila was married to Susanna Minyila and had several children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Honours and awards In 2008, Minyila was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Volta by former President John Agyekum Kuffour for his contributions to security and public service.

Death Colonel George Minyila died in 2016. He was survived by his wives Susana Minyila and Selina Minyila, a number of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.