Kofi Ampeah Woode
In the spirit of 22 years of cooperation, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the German Armed Forces have delivered an ultramodern thirty-room 2-storey self-sufficient classroom/laboratory complex Signals Training School (STS), to enhance capacity building in modern communications and technology warfare.
The edifice which commenced in October 2021, was commissioned on Wednesday 19 July 2023 at Burma Camp, Accra, with the presence of a host of dignitaries that included Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Defence and Member Parliament (MP) for Atwima-Kwanwoma – Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu, Germany’s Ambassador to Ghana – His Excellency (HE) Daniel Krull, and the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), GAF – Vice Admiral (V/Adm) Seth Amoama.
Minister Amankwa-Manu, who was the Guest of Honour at the occasion, said the partnership between GAF and the German Armed Forces Technical Advisory Group (GAFTAG) over the years has witnessed significant landmark projects, which include support towards the establishment of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre, and the upgrade of the facilities at GAF’s Engineer Training School.
He continued that the cooperation has brought about the provision of essential logistics support to the 48 Engineer Regiment, which has enhanced the deployment of the first engineer unit with the United Nations Multi-Dimensional Peace Keeping Mission in Mali.
Additionally, the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) Training School has benefited from a similar infrastructure and other ancillary equipment support, and has enhanced the expertise of personnel in the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Corps, facilitating the accreditation of the school as a diploma-awarding institution.
The Armed Forces Supplies and Transport Training School and the Defence Intelligence Department have also benefited from the partnership through the establishment of their Headquarters Buildings, classrooms and hostels.
He rounded off that the STS complex is the first phase of GAFTAG’s support to the School, which will culminate in the installation of electronic and cyber warfare laboratories, as well as training support and exchange programmes, in line with the short to medium-term projects for the next 4 years.
Ambassador Krull, on his part, said the STS would enable the sharing of information by GAF, given the evolving threats that the West African region, and referred to an earlier visit to Burma Camp by General Schroeder from the German Foreign Ministry of Defence, as a sign that Germany is willing, if requested, to continue and to expand the cooperation with GAF, in the security field.
He reiterated that General Schroeder made it quite clear on his visit that Germany’s support will only be upon request and on need be bases, which must be defined by GAF, especially in West Africa’s changing security environment.
GAF’s CDS – Admiral Amoama, in a welcome address, said combating evolving threats in West Africa additionally require continuous training, real-time surveillance capabilities communication support, which is what the German government, through GAFTAG has been doing for the GAF for some years now.
He continued that the facility will greatly enhance training in the School and would create opportunity for expanding the scope of teaching and learning in modern signal technologies, in an agenda that will contribute immensely to the objective of transforming and resourcing the Corps of Signals and GAF, the end state being the provision of efficient, reliable and timely communication support within the command framework of Ghana’s military.
Presenting an overview report on the construction, the head of GAFTAG – Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Bernd Frei gave credit to his predecessor – the late Lt Col Martin Wagner, who passed on 3 years ago in Ghana whiles on duty, and referred to Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Matthew Kweku Essien – General Officer Commanding, Northern Command, as the Master Mind of the project.
Lt Col Frei however stated that, there remains a lot of work ahead in terms of equipment, although the infrastructure has been provided, and called for constant careful handling, maintenance and repair of the facility.
Significantly, he called on the Unit’s Command to ensure that the rooms are used for their intended purposes, even if individual and training rooms are temporarily available for other purposes, and hoped that at the end of the project period, the STS would be acclaimed as second to none.
The features of the ultramodern STS include a functional area for the school, building with reinforcement concrete skeletal construction with hollow blocks, 5 classrooms, 3 laboratories for drones, cyber and radio, 2 workshops for telecommunication and electronics, one electronic warfare classroom, 1 library, a 100-seater auditorium, 13 offices for the school’s staff, 2 server rooms, 1 store room, and 1 roof training area with detached 30-meter-high radius transmission tower.
The building is designed to be operated self-sufficiently; water supply is secured by a borehole, there is an additional rainwater collection tank of 150 cubic meters, an osmosis system quality drinking water, a 4-chamber septic tank, an emergency power generator, a central uninterrupted power supply with alternating current stabilizers, windows with sun protection, heat insulated roofs and a locking system access control.
General Contractor was David Kessler of DK Construction, Fuller Architects Ltd was the Consulting Engineer with drawings done by the Directorate of Engineering Services of GAF.
Other dignitaries present included Chief Director, Ministry of Defence – Dr Evans Dzikum, Chief of the Army Staff – Major General (Maj Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Chief of the Naval Staff – Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, Acting Chief of the Air Staff – Eric Agyen-Frempon, Chief of Staff, General Headquarters – Maj Gen Nicholas Peter Andoh, Commandants, Formation Commanders, Directors General, Commanding Officer, STS – Lt Col Mark Ankobiah, Senior Officers, Officers, Retired Senior Officers of the Signal Corps, Defence Attaches, Forces Sergeant Major, Men, Women and Defence Civilian Staff of GAF.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
