Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana Army has rounded off its 2024 Sergeant Majors’ Convention, which was aimed at providing valuable knowledge for the development of Junior Leadership, to move the Army into the future, on a solid footing.
The 5-day Army Sergeant Majors’ Convention was held at the 48 Engineer Regiment, Southern Command (S/COMD), from Monday 30 September to Friday 4 October 2024, with the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Ghana Army – Major General (Maj Gen) Bismarck Kwasi Onwona, closing the convention as the Guest of Honour.
Speaking under the theme for the convention; “The Sergeant Major and the Development of Junior Leadership”, General Onwona said the Army of the future that the present generation envisages, cannot be fully achieved without the input of the leadership of the Sergeant Majors.
He stressed on the need for sound junior leadership, well grounded in good doctrine, discipline, and sound principles, which he said provides the resilience required to defend Ghana, against threats to security, across the operational spectrum.
He charged the Sergeant Majors not to forget the importance of maintenance of morale and welfare amongst troops, to find out issues that affect morale and welfare in their various commands, and work together with command, to ensure that troops’ morale is kept high at all times.
He praised the cadre for making valuable contributions to discussions on critical contemporary issues confronting the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), and said their inputs, experiences and knowledge gained, would help to shape policies for the ultimate mandate of defending Ghana against internal and external aggression.
Touching on Ghana’s general elections in December 2024, the COAS urged the Sergeant Majors to guide young ones to behave professionally during the elections, and to work together with other sister security agencies, to create a peaceful atmosphere before, during, and after the elections.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), Southern Command (S/COMD) – Brigadier General Samuel Yeboah Asare, in some remarks to the Sergeant Majors said that the aim of the convention was for RSMs to gather and deliberate on issues of the army, make inputs to help high command make good decisions and policies, and to interact and network among themselves to bond and share ideas for the overall good of GAF.
Sixty-nine Army Sergeant Major’s from all Units, along with 3 Navy and 4 Air Force Sergeant Majors, participated in the 2024 Sergeant Majors’ Convention; for Regimental Sergeant Majors are custodians of the traditions of Ghana’s military.
Topics treated at the convention included; Sergeant Majors and development of Junior leadership; Resettlement; Vision of the COAS; Army Customs and Traditions; and Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) regulations; after which Certificates were presented to each participant.
Credit: S/COMD PR
