The government has inaugurated a new Veterans Administration Ghana (VAG) governing board and launched an aggressive recovery of veterans’ funds and assets as part of sweeping welfare reforms in the defence sector.

Defence Minister, Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, stated that the new board will oversee efforts to reclaim veterans’ resources that have been mismanaged over the years, while expanding healthcare access through the government’s flagship health program.

“To forget our veterans is to forget our values,” the Minister said during the Government Accountability Series. “Veterans are not relics of the past. They are pillars of our present and custodians of our history.”

Veterans will become prime beneficiaries of the Mahama Cares health financing initiative, receiving coverage for diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancers, and kidney disease treatment. The program addresses what the Minister described as years of neglect in veterans’ healthcare needs.

The completion of the Afari Military Hospital and the Field Hospital in Tamale will bring quality healthcare closer to veterans across the country, providing better access to medical services than previously available.

He also revealed that veterans will also receive dividends from the Defence Industries Holding Company (DIHOC) operations, ensuring they benefit from military-led commercial ventures alongside serving personnel.

The new VAG governing board has been tasked with recovering veterans’ funds, lands, and assets through what Boamah called an “aggressive recovery” program. The Minister did not specify the total value of assets to be recovered or provide details on how they were lost.

The reforms represent a departure from previous approaches to veterans’ welfare, with the government promising sustained policy support rather than ceremonial recognition alone.

“We believe that while we rightly celebrate our veterans’ heroism on various Remembrance Days, our gratitude must go beyond ceremony. Our gratitude must be seen in action and sustained through policy,” Dr Omane Boamah said.

Richard Aniagyei, ISD