Major General Anita Asmah is a Ghanaian military officer, lawyer, and United Nations peacekeeping leader. Raised in Ghana within a military environment, Major General Asmah developed an early grounding in discipline, service, and leadership.

She received her secondary education at Aburi Girls’ Senior High School and later earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ghana. This dual academic background provided a strong foundation for leadership in complex operational and legal environments.

She formally joined the Ghana Armed Forces in 1992 and has since built a career defined by preparation, professionalism, and operational excellence rather than public visibility.

Her international service spans several major UN missions. In the early 2000s, she served as a UN Military Observer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She later completed multiple deployments with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), working in high-risk, politically sensitive environments where sound judgment was critical.

In 2021, Major General Asmah was appointed Deputy Force Commander of UNDOF, the mission tasked with monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Syria. She assumed the role of Acting Force Commander in 2022, leading multinational forces during periods of operational transition. In December 2024, she was appointed Head of Mission and Force Commander by the UN Secretary-General and formally assumed command in February 2025.

In February 2025, she made history as the first African woman to serve as Head of Mission and Force Commander of a UN peacekeeping operation, leading the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

In addition to her professional achievements, she is a mother and has balanced family life with decades of international military service.

Major General Anita Asmah’s career reflects sustained leadership, strong academic grounding, and proven competence across complex peacekeeping missions, marking a significant milestone for African women in global military leadership.