Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Commander-In-Chief (C-In-C) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and President of Ghana – His Excellency (HE) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has highly commended Ghana’s Military High Command for fostering a good relationship with its civilian society and the media, in 2023.
Delivering what looked like an overview of GAF in 2023, in a keynote speech at GAF’s 2023 General Headquarters (GHQ) West Africa Soldiers Social Activities (WASSA) on Friday, 22 December, 2023 at Burma Camp, the C-In-C urged to sustain these efforts in the coming years, to boost further confidence in the military’s civilian counterparts, and to facilitate national development.
In a delivery laden with a plethora of positives chalked by Ghana’s military in 2023, both locally and internationally, the C-In-C cited GAF’s peace support operations (PSO) in a number of countries, and for meeting its United Nations (UN) set quota of inclusion of women in peacekeeping, in an era of advocacy for gender mainstreaming, where GAF’s Captain Cecilia Erzuah won the UN’s Military Gender Advocate Person of 2023, whiles serving in the UN’s Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA)
He also commended Ghana’s Military – which is an agency under the Ministry for Defence – for collaborating with the Ministries of Lands and Forestry, and Energy, in the annual tree planting under the Green Ghana Project, and the Akosombo Dam Controlled Dam Spillage by the Volta River Authority, towards alleviating the plight of the affected communities, where troops assisted in rescuing victims of flooding and relocating affected persons to safety, respectively.
Stating for the umpteenth time, his government’s commitment in supporting GAF to boost its operational capabilities, and meet the welfare needs of All Ranks, HE Akufo-Addo said over two thousand (2000) units of residential accommodation for Officers and Soldiers, have been constructed across various garrisons, as part of the gradual approach in dealing with the accommodation challenges, with some four hundred (400) more units under construction.
He further restated the State’s commitment to sustain the retooling and transforming of GAF, as well as other security services, into formidable forces, and to enhance their capacity, enable them perform their duties effectively and efficiently, and to contribute more towards the development of the nation.
He further stated that, in a quest to make the Armed Forces more professional, Ghana has established its National College for Defence Studies (NCDS) – which has begun its pilot process – with permanent structures at a permanent site for the college set to be constructed, and the Strategic Defence College aspiring to attract students from Africa and beyond.
President Akufo-Addo also highly mentioned friends of Ghana’s Military, who supported GAF in training, infrastructural development and equipment acquisition, the EU for the donation of specialized vehicles to the GAF and other security services, in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crimes.
Further on the tussle with Violent Extremism (VE) and terrorism, he continued to say that a successful implementation of the Accra Initiative, involving the consistent collaboration and cooperation of security and Intelligence Heads from Ghana and her neighbours, particularly la Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Benin and others, have enhanced the fight against terrorism in the sub region.
This, he said, has helped Ghana to reinforce the security on its northwestern, northern and northeastern borders, against infiltrations, helping in enhancing the Command and Control Hub of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) headquartered in Tamale, and by extension the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Standby Force, to coordinate satisfactorily.
In an earlier brief by the Defence Minister, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbilla – Mr Dominic Aduna Bingab Nitiwul, he highlighted a number of flagship operational activities and projects that the Government has undertaken. Below is the list:
Construction – 1) new world class Military Academy Campus at Teshie; 2) 832 housing units across all Garrisons; 3) 8 1-storey building at the Naval Base, Nutekpor; 4) new warehouses for Base Ordnance Depot; 5) new Base Ammunition Depot storage facilities; 6) Young Soldiers Block at 37 Military Hospital; 7) new Army Headquarters; 8) new Chief of the Defence Staff Block; 9) 56 new 4-bedrooms housing projects in Accra for Officers; 10) Industrial Kitchen for 37 Military Hospital; 11) new stadium in Tamale (50% complete); 12) Naval Forward Operating Base (FOB);
Roads – 13) Resurfacing of 100km barracks roads with asphalt across the Garrisons; Procurement of – 14) 145 Assorted Vehicles; 15) 79 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) vehicles and Communication Equipment; 16) 6 Multiple Launchers Rocket System; 17) 50 ANKAI High Occupancy Buses; Acquisitions – 18) New set of Ceremonial Saluting Guns; 19) 4 Offshore Patrol Vessels; 20) 70 KAMAZ Trucks for PSO;
21) Purchase of 60 APCs for UNIFIL GHANBATT; 22) Order placed for 6 LG39N Trainer Aircrafts; Establishment – 23) new Garrisons and Units; 24) NCDS; 25) new Training Centers; 26) Massive infrastructural work at Battle Training Camp, Bundase; 27) Under-construction is the 12 Mechanized Battalion, Sandema.
As regards of the contemporary security threats within the sub-region, Minister Nitiwul said his Ministry is constructing FOBs and Forward Logistics Bases (FLBs) in the Northern Frontiers of the country with the view to dealing with such threats, in the following places:
i) FOB Tumu; ii) FOB Bimbilla; iii) FOB Navio; iv) FOB Dollar Power; v) FOB Bole; vi) FOB Tuna; vii) FOB Jirapa; viii) FOB Saboba; ix) FOB Hamile; x) FOB Bawku; xi) FOB Nalerigu; xii) FOB Bunkpurugu; xiii) FLB Tamale; xiv) FLB Wa; and xv) FLB Bolgatanga.
GAF has engaged in non-kinetic efforts, such as developmental projects to contribute to job and wealth creation for the youth, which include roads, dams’ construction, farming, borehole drilling and tree planting, in distressed communities. And in collaboration with National Service personnel, undertaken clean-up exercises at Ashaiman, La-Dadekotopon, Ledzokuku and Krowor Municipalities, as part of their civil-military relation.
Present at the event included Minister for the Interior – Mr Ambrose Dery; MPs; Chief of the Defence Staff, GAF – Vice Admiral Seth Amoama; Inspector General of Police – Dr George Akuffo-Dampare; Service Chiefs of GAF; Heads of Other Security Services; Retired Senior Officers; Defence Attachés and Members of the Diplomatic Corps; Partners and Friends of GAF; Senior Officers, Officers, Forces Sergeant Major – Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Addo, Regimental Sergeant Majors, Soldiers, Defence Civilian Staff.
