Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Vice Admiral (V/Adm) Seth Amoama has refuted misinformation through certain publications that his Official Residence, and that of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), have been sold out to a private developer.
Speaking to a number of Senior Officers at Burma Camp, on Wednesday 3 January 2024, he stated unambiguously that GAF has agreed with a private developer, to redevelop the CDS and COAS residences, to make more beneficial use of the combined 19-acre land, which presently hosts only 2 members of Ghana’s Military High Command.
In further exposition, he said although the present situation caters for only the two Senior Officers’ official accommodations, the end state of the arrangement with the developer, would have eleven (11) additional houses for Senior Officers to the CDS and the Army Commander’s residences, for more efficient use of military land.
He further stated that Ghana’s military is challenged with accommodation problems, a situation which have been aggravated by GAF’s ongoing expansion, which has seen the appointment of more Senior Officers, who need to be accorded befitting accommodation facilities, especially the Two-Stars.
In the interim, per the arrangement with the developer, the Three-Star revealed, that two (2) houses are to be built at Burma Camp for the CDS and the COAS to live there in, until the construction of their Official Residences at Roman Ridge, Accra, are completed.
In addition to the 13 Senior Officers accommodation at Roman Ridge, the developer will also build thirty-six (36) 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom housing units for other Officers at Burma Camp; “We think that is worth pursuing”, Admiral Amoama said.
However, the CDS entreated for the buy-in and approval from all serving and retired Officers, urging that the arrangement is far better than to be taken unawares someday by some entity who would scheme to take the military out, hence denying GAF the full benefit of the tract of land, and revealed that attempts have earlier been made to take the land from the military, but for resistance posed by retired Officers.
Affirming that the ideation of the CDS and the Army Commander co-locating with other Senior Officers, is proper and not a strange phenomenon, citing the Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF), where at Niger Barracks in Lagos, the CDS lives among other Senior Officers.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
