Ghana has a rich and varied military history. The military traditions of the Asante and several other Ghanaian peoples dominated the pre-colonial era. During the British period, Ghana's military consisted of a modest army organized along infantry lines. At independence, Nkrumah expanded the armed forces to enhance the country's national prestige. The army grew in size and complexity, and the government established a separate air force and navy. This growth exceeded Ghana's national security requirements, however, and imposed an economic burden on the new state. In the decades since independence, Ghana has continued to maintain a comparatively large military force. By the early 1990s, it had become clear that the government would have to respond to popular demands for greater economic growth by reducing the size of the military establishment.

Data as of November 1994