Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana Army’s 154 Armoured Regiment (154 Armd Regt) had its share of the seasonal change in command, as the Unit’s Commanding Officer (CO) – Colonel (Col) Kofi Obiri-Yeboah handed over the reins of command to Acting Commander – Major (Maj) Kwadwo Otchere-Prempeh.
The Handing/Taking Over ceremony on Friday 8 September, 2023 at the Square of the 154 Armd Regt, Sunyani, had the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Central Command (C/COMD) – Brigadier General Charles Agyemang-Prempeh and the Deputy Commander, 15 Armoured Brigade – Col Edward Owusu-Ansah, as Special Guest and Guest of Honour, respectively.
Col E Owusu-Ansah, in his speech, credited Col K Obiri-Yeboah for having paid his dues not only to the Regiment, but also to the entire Armour Corps, laying a firm foundation for a fully-fledged 154 Armour Regiment, the creation of an Armour Detachment to support operations of C/COMD, providing constant support to training at the Armour Training School, and to the 155 Armoured Regiment in Damongo, in the Savannah Region, at its infant stages.
Col Obiri-Yeboah was the maiden CO of the 154 Armd Regt, since its setup in the year 2019 – which was built on the erstwhile 2 Independence Reconnaissance Squadron of the then Armored Reconnaissance Regiment which is now 153 Armoured Regiment – as one of 3 new units created in Ghana Army’s Armour Corps, as part of an expansion drive launched by the Chief of the Army Staff – Major General (Maj Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah.
Col Obiri-Yeboah, who is now designated Chief G5 (Plans), at the Army Headquarters, Burma Camp, assumed command of the 154 Armd Regt on 4 April 2020, and spent 3 years 3 months 2 weeks and 3 days as CO.
In a farewell speech which he read at the ceremony, Col Obiri-Yeboah said he set for himself 3 broad objectives; Foundational Regimental Development, Professional Enhancement of Personnel and Sound Welfare & Family Support, which he envisioned would help secure “a well-established Armoured Regiment with professionally capable manpower motivated to operate, under the command of the 15 Armoured Brigade, to support Ghana Army operations.”
His tenure also acquired a set of Establishment Instructions containing the detailed organizational chart, Unit Equipment Table and Charter, a draft Establishment Instructions, detailing the mission, roles and responsibilities of all appointment holders, a distinct Crest for the Regiment, and activated 4 out of the 5 intended Squadrons of the Regiment, since 2021.
The Regiment has innovatively enhanced and improved upon existing facilities and introduced new ones, with all infrastructure facilities in the Regiment receiving a touch of improvement: The Radio and Briefing Rooms, the All Ranks Coffee Room, Quarter Master Yard, which houses the Armour Water production facility have all been given a makeover.
Additionally, the Regiment’s Main Gate and Quarter Guard have been totally refurbished with 3D inscriptions for both the Regiment and the Armour Training School, Offices have been created for Squadron appointment holders and the Physical Training Instructors, whiles the Commanding Officer’s residence has also been made befitting.
The water challenge at the Barracks, as a result of only one mechanized borehole supplying water to the entire Barracks, has been corrected with the sinking and mechanization of two (2) additional boreholes.
The Regiment with the support of higher Headquarters, also constructed a 5-room accommodation block for Young Soldiers (which presently houses female soldiers), renovated an old and dilapidated accommodation unit at the Warrant Officers’ Quarters, which now houses some instructors of the Armour Training School.
A temporary structure has been erected and commissioned as part of the handing over ceremony, to serve as recreational facility for the teeming Junior Ranks to relax after a day’s hard work, for the location of the Junior Ranks Mess has become practically untenable, as it sits in the belly of the Armour Training School Lines.
The Junior Mess Ranks structure is dedicated to the memory of Trooper Imoro Sheriff – a Soldier of the Regiment who was brutally murdered in Ashaiman in March 2023.
By the kind sponsorship of Virtual Security Africa – a public-spirited organization, a state-of-the-art close-circuit camera hs been set-up at major points of the Regiment.
154 Armd Regt has engaged in active training year after year, with its annual training plan regularly featuring major activities such as the Basic Fitness Test, Annual Personal Weapon Test, Road Drives, Inter-Squadron March & Shoot and Drill Competitions, with Tuesdays and Thursdays having been designated training days for the entire Regiment respectively.
The Regiment has since 2021 mobilized to participate in the annual Land Combat Power Demonstration held at the Battle Training Camp, Bundase.
The Command has instituted periodic meetings with soldiers’ spouses, to ensure Sound Welfare & Family Support the Regiment, to ensure that concerns of all residents at the barracks are known and addressed timeously, to minimize conflicts and engender harmonious living.
Since 2022, the Regiment has taken steps to improve upon its footprint in the C/COMD Area of Operations, with a Troop Armour being deployed in Kumasi, as a decisive asset at the disposal of the GOC. The Regiment also boasts of a codified and well-packaged pocket-size Standing Orders known as the REGSOD for guidance of troops.
Also present at the event were the Bono Regional Minister – Madam Justina Owusu Banahene, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive Officer, CO, 3 Infantry Battalion – Lt Col E Tenadu; CO, Armoured Training School – Lt Col Abdul Bashiru Issah; Commanders of Regional Security Services, Officers, Regimental Sergeant Major – Senior Warrant Officer Class II Asase Kenneth, Chiefs, Soldiers, family and friends.
