Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) has held the 10th Matriculation of its Weekend Master of Science in Defence and International Politics (MDIP) programme, with a call by the Commandant – Major General (Maj Gen) Irvine Ayittey Aryeetey, for students to apply the knowledge they acquire from GAFCSC, to help a world saddled with multiple challenges.
The 10th Weekend MDIP Matriculation – which is also the 18th Matriculation when combined with the Regular Military students of the same programme – took place at GAFCSC’s Hamidu Hall, Teshie Ridge, on Friday 10 March, 2023, with the Deputy Rector, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) – Professor Martin Morgan Tuuli as the Guest-of-Honour, with thirty-seven (37) matriculants from various sectors of Ghana.
The Commandant stated that the knowledge acquired from the program, will place students in good stead to understand the context and complexities, in which topical global issues become metaphors for defining international politics and/or global insecurity, while they contribute meaningfully to national and global issues, as masters over problems of our time, when they graduate in August 2024 as Class 45.
The Commandant of the established Centre of Excellence for both academic and professional military training, stated that, among global challenges are youth unemployment, migration, waste management, sanitation, poverty, ethnic intolerance, negative politics and religion, and many more, that continue to pose a real threat to individual states and global stability.
He added that national and global insecurity have been exacerbated by a rise in activism of non-state actors in the form of terrorism and irredentist demands, as well as uncertainties being created by sometimes seemingly irrational actions and posturing of supposedly world superpowers.
General Aryeetey furthered that in the mean time, the actions that the United Nations – which resides the hope and power for ensuring global peace and security – seem to be limited in the face of global geopolitics and the geo-strategic posturing of these world powers.
Maj Gen Aryeetey stated that, beyond offering higher military education, programmes run in the Military College have gone through extensive transformation, culminating in the introduction of the Weekend MDIP, which has been possible through help from the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) of the University of Ghana, and GIMPA, for their post-graduate programmes that set the stage for a smooth take off.
The General added that the Military College was established to train selected Officers of GAF and other African militaries, other Security Services in Ghana and qualified civilians, for middle-level policy, command, staff and leadership functions, and to also provide higher level engagements within a national and international environment.
Acknowledging the historical establishment and the visionary leadership of past Commandants and Staff, he commended the commitment of the College’s Dean of Academic Affairs – Dr Vladmir Antwi-Danso. However, the Commandant wished that with the Dean’s guidance, two other courses – MSc in Security Studies, and PhD programmes will be brought on board soon, together with the introduction of Digital Courses, as proposed by Ghana’s Vice President.
Present at the ceremony were GAFCSC’s Assistant Commandant, Senior Division – Air Commodore Eric Yirenkyi, Chief Coordinator – Colonel Maxwell Mantey, Dr Appiah-Marfo of GIMPA, the Registrar of GAFCSC, Directing Staff, Staff of GIMPA, and a representative of MDIP Class of 23.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
