Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana Army’s Central Command (C/COMD), Headquarters (HQ) have held a parade to transfer authority of the General Officer Commanding (GOC), from Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Michael Kwadwo Opoku to Brig Gen Albert Sison Ogaja.
The handing/taking over parade was held at the Agyemang-Prempeh Square, Idris Barracks, Kumasi, on Friday 23 May 2025, after which the traditional military pulling-out march in honour of the outgone GOC – Brig Gen MK Opoku, followed suit.
The event was graced by a distinguished gathering including former Chief of the Army Staff – Major General Opoku Adusei (Rtd), Senior Military Officers and Staff Officers, members of the Regional Security Council, traditional leaders, Defence Civilian Staff, family members, and friends of the Command.
In his farewell address, Brig Gen Opoku urged Officers and Soldiers of the Command to uphold professionalism and maintain unwavering loyalty to the state, emphasizing the importance of discipline, and also called on personnel to resist unlawful orders, in order to preserve the integrity of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
Brig Gen Opoku, who commenced his tenure as GOC from March 2024, and now moves on to the Army Headquarters, appealed to friends of C/COMD to assist the new GOC, to continue with ongoing projects in the Unit, particularly the accommodation facilities under construction for Soldiers.
Under his tenure, C/COMD constructed anew Officers’ Mess Matambo with rooftop; gave a facelift to the Command Road; a 30-man Soldiers’ Accommodation is under construction; constructed a Command Sergeant Major’s office; the Cookhouse gas cylinder was refurbished with bulb;
Also, the Warrant Officers’ (WOs) and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers’ (SNCOs) Mess was refurbished; 3 Toyota Hilux Pickups were acquired from Newmont Ghana; Forward Operating Bases (FOB) Ahafo Kenyase, and Sankore were constructed; SNCOs Accommodation was renovated; the Adinkra Mess Guest House was constructed.
The Officers’ Transit Quarters received a facelift; the burnt Young Soldiers’ Accommodation was reconstructed; the GAF Museum in Kumasi was renovated; a borehole for the Soldiers’ Quarters was also constructed; the HQ donated 25 Apsonic Motorbikes to Units under S/COMD; the Garrison Officers’ Mess received a facelift;
Additionally, all broken down vehicles of the C/COMD HQ, and some vehicles at 4 Infantry Battalion and 3 Infantry Battalion were repaired; and the Ejura and Atebubu FOBs were secured and furnished for troops.
Photo Credit: C/COMD PR DET
