Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Ghana Army – Major General (Maj Gen) Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu, has paid his first official visit to the United Nations-certified Army Peace Operations Training School (APOTS), and outlined his vision and key objectives.
The COAS’ retinue for his visit on Tuesday 10 June 2025, to the Battle Training Camp (BTC), Bundase, included the Commander, Army Training Command (ATRAC) – Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Joshua Amanor; Principal Officers from the Army Headquarters (AHQ), Burma Camp, Accra; and were received by Colonel (Col) Reuben Dela Klutse – Commander, APOTS.
As part of the Defence Chief’s itinerary, he observed an exercise – EX ABIEM RUAC – which was conducted by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Ghanaian Battalion (GHANBATT) 13, which is undergoing Pre-Deployment Training (PDT), under its Commanding Officer (CO) – Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Edmund Tekpetey, with APOTS.
General Gbetanu outlined his vision – “To maintain a motivated Army grounded on core military values, enabled by adaptive technologies and platforms capable of projecting decisive land power as part of the Ghana Armed Forces”, with core military values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Service, Equity, and Courage.
He also outlined the intention of the AHQ, to go back to the basics by re-introducing some training exercises such as 1) full Basic Fitness Test (BFT) from the training schools, through to the PDT – starting from the next GHANBATT; 2) Exercise Starlight Stretch; 3) Exercise Fire Blast; 4) Exercise Tiger’s Path, 5) March and Shoot exercises; and 6) Route Marches.
The morale of the training programs which would commence around September 2025, he said, is to keep the troops in shape, with the awareness that soldiers (rank regardless) need to keep themselves fit and healthy.
He also stated that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Military High Command (MHC) is making efforts to ensure that all military training schools and Units are well equipped, in order to perform their roles, and working together with the Defence Ministry, to tackle the acute accommodation challenges faced by troops.
Maj Gen LK Gbetanu, who is deemed training-centric, and has spent a total of about 12 years of his career at GAF’s training schools, urged all personnel who deem postings to military training schools as ‘punishment’, to clear that mindset, assuring that the Service Headquarters will give due recognition to Instructors at the various training schools.
He also made a call to all soldiers – a call which he cited as critical – to be loyal to the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, affirming that soldiers have no business extending loyalty to any other organization, agency or political party, than the State.
The Army Commander urged the contingent under PDT to be apprised of the security situation in South Sudan, which he described as quite fluid, and to be alert in their duties of the Protection of Civilians (POC), and be ever conscious of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), when they are eventually inserted into the peacekeeping theatre.
Under a guided tour of APOTS, the COAS visited the 200-bed Officers’ accommodation facility, the Regimental Aid Post, the cooking shed, and the under-construction 1000-seater dining hall.
He also commissioned a 50-bed Senior Non-Commissioned Officers’ (SNCO) accommodation named Yaa Asantewaa Block, which was constructed by UNMISS 13, with support from businessmen such as Mr Charles Boateng, Mr Patrick Don Chebe, and Mr Ebenezer Dautey Amanor of Zion Electricals; and an ablution building, which was constructed by APOTS.
GHANBATT 13 is training under the mission: To protect the Civilian population in Sector Unity in South Sudan, assist humanitarian and aid agencies to carry out their activities in close collaboration with other UN Forces/Partners, in order to ensure the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2779 (2005), in the Area of Operational Responsibility (AOR).
Other Senior Officers present included Brig Gen William Kwabiah; Col Albert Tekyi – Army Projects; Lt Col Isaac Keelson Ekow Amoah – Deputy Commander, APOTS; Officers; Army Sergeant Major – Master Warrant Officer Ansah Yeboah Isaac; and Key Appoint Holders of UNMISS 13.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
