Kofi Ampeah Woode
In celebration of the end of year 2023, and as part of the West African Soldiers Social Activities (WASSA), the Headquarters, Ghana Army held fun games, with the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) – Major General (Maj Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah, playing and exhibiting dexterity in volleyball and soccer with his Staff Officers, Soldiers and Civilian Defence Staff.
The fun games were held at the Elwak Stadium, Accra, on Wednesday 13 December, 2023 with sporting events like aerobics, volleyball, sack race, lime in spoon race, 4 X 100 meters race, soccer, tug-of-peace, musical chairs, and were topped up with the presentation of awards.
In his remarks, the COAS expressed thanks to his Staff Officers – whom he described as having worked hard, been supportive, cooperative and advised him appropriately, and the Soldiers as amazing in spite of the difficulties, especially those at 11 and 12 Mechanized Battalion, who are always under pressure, working to keep the country safe, and to families of personnel.
In an overview of how the Ghana Army has fared in the past four years since his assumption of office, the COAS talked about how challenging the times have been, in terms of resources to drive development, in spite of which the Service has been able to continue with its expansion drive, successfully adding other units to existing ones.
Explaining the expansion course, General Oppong-Peprah stated that there is the need to create vacancies for promotion, relative to the size of Army he assumed Command of, where Unit-submitted requests for promotions were mostly turned down, due to lack of vacancies.
Recent narrative of the situation, however, indicates incipient changes: “The fact is that we want to take care of the numbers that we are adding up, to justify promotions of personnel. You can see that promotions are gradually picking up, and we will not relent but continue to take care of as many personnel as possible”, the COAS said.
Into specificities, Maj Gen T Oppong-Peprah cited the establishment of 15 Armoured, 17 Signal, and Army Special Operations Brigades; 10 and 11 Mechanized Battalions; 154 and 155 Armoured Regiments; Artillery Training School, Ho; about 18 projects at the Army Special Operations Training School, Daboya; expansion of facilities at the Army Recruit Training School, Shai-Hills, and the Armour Training School, Sunyani.
He also cited the establishment of the 851 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Regiment Headquarters at Michel Camp; 12 Mechanized Battalion of which funds have been secured for the construction of a whole barracks at Sandema, and has commenced in earnest; completion of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Bui; and the construction of a massive and new Army Headquarters.
Further on constructions, he stated how in spite of financial constraints, through government, partners, and friends, more expansion of accommodation facilities were undertaken at the United Nations Village at Burma Camp; ongoing construction works of a 200-bed and a 100-bed female accommodation facilities under construction at the Battle Training Camp, Bundase (whose Headquarters is being built); and the construction of a 100-bed facility at the Jungle Warfare School, Achiase has commenced.
The list above are some projects which have been done at the Army Headquarters level, and are exclusive of what Commanding Officers of Units under the Army have done, to complement efforts in accommodation and training facilities, from 2019, for which reason the General stated: “If we focus properly and determine to change the Army by ourselves, we can do it”.
He finally prayed that in the year 2024, Almighty God would descend on the military to build and make it one of the best in Africa, and help them perform their duties exceptionally, and make the military in particular, and the country as a whole, great and strong.
The Army Headquarters, would later on Friday 16 December 2023, round up its end of year events with the main WASSA event at the Nicholson Stadium, Burma Camp, with the attendance of many dignitaries such as the Chief of the Defence Staff – Vice Admiral Seth Amoama; Maj Gen Samuel Odotei (Rtd) – who was the Guest of Honour.
Side attraction of the main WASSA event was the commissioning of a prototype vehicle christened ‘Ghana Army Mini Jeep’ (GHAMIJ), and manufactured by Warrant Officer Class One Awal Mohammed.
