Chemogoh Kevin Dzang

Chemogoh Kevin Dzang
Rear Admiral Dzang then Commodore And Chief of Naval Staff of the Ghana Navy
Born	27 July 1941 Nandom, Upper West Region, Ghana
Died	December 29, 2009(2009-12-29) (aged 68)
Allegiance	Ghana
Service/branch	Ghana Navy
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	Chief of Naval Staff
Other work	High Commissioner to Australia PNDC Secretary of State For Defence Ambassador to Japan Member of the Supreme Military Council (SMC I)

Rear Admiral Chemogoh Kevin Dzang (27 July 1941 — 29 December 2009) was born at Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana. He is a retired naval officer and a former Chief of Naval Staff of the Ghana Navy. He also served Ghana as a Secretary of State for Defence and an ambassador to Japan with concurrent accreditations to the Commonwealth of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam and Thailand.

Born at Nandom in the Lawra-Nandom district of the Upper West Region of Ghana, Dzang was educated at the Nandom Local Authority Primary School from 1948 to 1953 and the Lawra Middle School from 1954 to 1955. Having passed the Common Entrance Examination, he was admitted to the Government Secondary School at Tamale from 1956 to 1960. After the General Certificate of Examination in less than five years, he opted to join the Ghana Armed Forces (Navy) rather than continue to the sixth form for which he was well qualified and given admission to pursue Science at the same Government Secondary School in Tamale. In a highly competitive selection process, Dzang entered the Ghana Military Academy as an Officer Cadet in September 1960. While in the academy, he was confirmed a Naval Cadet and proceeded to the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in South Devon, United Kingdom, in August 1961. Along with six other Ghanaian cadets, Dzang joined the British and other Commonwealth naval cadets for comprehensive training, starting as naval cadets to midshipmen at sea and acting sub-lieutenants. Dzang graduated from Dartmouth in 1964 and returned to Ghana for deployment within the Ghana Armed Forces.

His first appointment was to GNS Afadzato as first lieutenant and second-in-command. The ship immediately sailed for refit in Gibraltar in the company of GNS Yogaga. Both vessels were inshore minesweepers and the passage was epoch-breaking, eventful, and uncomfortable. In the end, however, both officers and men discovered their ‘sea legs’ and developed indomitable confidence to face challenges at sea.

While the vessels were refitting in Gibraltar, Dzang was appointed to GNS Achimota for the passage from Southampton to Ghana, with secondary duties as the navigational officer. After docking in Tema, Ghana, Dzang was flown back to Gibraltar to rejoin GNS Afadzato for the return passage to Ghana after the refit. Apart from the anxiety of the crew to return home to their loved ones and friends, the passage itself was smooth and uneventful. A few months after the vessels’ return to Ghana, Dzang was promoted lieutenant and given command of GNS Afadzato in 1965.