Lieutenant General Frederick William "Fred" Kwasi Akuffo (21 March 1937 – 26 June 1979) was a Ghanaian soldier and politician who was the Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from 1976 to 1978, and chairman of the ruling Supreme Military Council and the sixth military head of state from 1978 to 1979.

He then enlisted in the Ghana Army in 1957 and trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK among others, receiving his commission in 1960.

On 9 October 1975, Fred Akuffo was appointed a member of the ruling Supreme Military Council government due to his position as Ghana's army commander.

On 5 July 1978, he led a palace coup to overthrow the head of state, General Ignatius Acheampong.

[4] He continued with the ongoing preparations to return Ghana to constitutional rule but his government was also cut short on 4 June 1979 by a military uprising by the junior ranks of the Ghana military led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).