Kofi Ampeah Woode
Major General (Maj Gen) Irvine Nii-Ayittey Aryeetey has once again parted ways with the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), handing over Command of the military college to Maj Gen Bismarck Kwasi Onwona, to pioneer Ghana’s National College of Defence Studies (NCDS), as Commandant.
On Friday October 6, 2023, while Maj Gen BK Onwona presented a plaque, and the Deputy Commandant – Brigadier General Abass Seidu presented a citation, the Chief Coordinator read the citation to the honour of the outgone Commandant, at the Fletcher Mess of the Centre of Excellence, for his meritorious, outstanding and dedicated service as the Commandant of GAFCSC.
Maj Gen Aryeetey assumed command of the College on Friday 13 January 2023, and is credited with entrenching the status of the military college as a Centre of Excellence, by embarking on an infrastructural and digitization drive to give the College the desired contemporary outlook.
He put systems in place to make GAFCSC function more efficiently, and as Chairman of the College Policy Committee, showed initiative and made a tangible impact through effective communication and creative ideas, undertook the expansion of academic programmes, including the introduction of a PhD programme, and a second Master’s degree programme, and also published the third edition of the College Journal, the citation which is signed by Ghana’s Minister for Defence, read.
GAFCSC’s 21st Commandant – Maj Gen IN Aryeetey had previously served at GAFCSC as Chief Instructor Army Faculty, Chief Instructor Joint Studies and Director of Studies (DOS) at the Senior Division, Directing Staff (DS), Commanding Officer (CO), and Assistant Commandant (ASCOM), Junior Division.
The internal event, had the presence of the Assistant Commandant, Junior Division – Brigadier General Albert Dawohoso; Vice Dean – Dr Napoleon Kurantin; Senior Research Fellows – Ambassador Lawrence Satuh and Dr Boni Yao Gebe; Registrar/Secretary – Mrs Stella Ampofo; some DS and staff of GAFCSC.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
