Major General J N Adinkrah was born on 19 April 1950. He attended the Accra Academy (Accra ACA) from 1965 to 1970 where he obtained his General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level Certificate.
As part of a special programme for enlistment at the time, he was enlisted together with a group of enterprising young men and enrolled into the sixth form at the Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS) in Takoradi from 1970 to 1972, with intermittent military training during holidays. On completion of the sixth form course, he did a one year intensive training at the Ghana military Academy and was commissioned into the Ghana Army as a Second Lieutenant on 21 July 1973.
He has completed all his mandatory career progression courses. He has also attended the International Defence Management Course at the Naval Post-Graduate School, Monterey, California, in the United States of America, from February to April 1998. Maj Gen Adinkrah is also a 2005 graduate of the South African National Defence College’s Executive National Security Programme (ensp).
By way of appointments, Maj Gen Adinkrah has held several of them across board, including Platoon Commander in the 2nd Battalion of Infantry, Junior Leaders Company and the 4th Battalion of Infantry; Mechanical Transport Officer, Defence Platoon Commander Brigade Intelligence Officer and General Staff Officer Grade Three (Operations and Training), all at the Headquarters 2 Infantry Brigade Group, and Company Commander of the 5th Battalion of Infantry; and Tactical Instructor of the Ghana Military Academy.
Others are Second –in-Command of the 3rd Battalion of Infantry; Brigade Major and Acting Commanding Officer of Headquarters 2 Infantry Brigade and Commanding Officer 3rd Battalion of Infantry.
The rest are Deputy Director General Personal Administration (Manpower Planning) and Director Manpower Planning both of the General Headquarters (PA); as well as Chief Staff Officer, Army Headquarters.
Before his appointment as the Chief of the Army Staff, he was the General Officer Commanding Northern Command of the Ghana Army.