Kofi Ampeah Woode
To herald the 2nd edition of Ghana Armed Forces’ (GAF) International Defence Exhibition and Conference dubbed ‘IDEC 24’, the Ghana Army, as the lead Service for the symposium, has held a Press Conference to brief the Media on purposes, plans and pursuits of the meeting slated for Wednesday 28 to Thursday 29 August 2024.
The Presser, addressed by Heads of four Sub-Committees who form the Central Planning Committee (CPC) for IDEC 24, was held on Thursday 22 August 2024, at the Dohazari Auditorium, 1 Mechanical & Transport Battalion, Burma Camp, Accra.
The IDEC 24 Sub-Committees and Heads are Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Emmanuel Opare Nyante (Deputy Chief Staff Officer {DCSO}, Administration, Army Headquarters) – Media and Protocols; Colonel (Col) Kofi Obiri-Yeboah (Chief, G5 Plans) – Events and Operations; Col James Kofi Narteh Amenya (Chief G4 Logistics) – Logistics; Col Issahaku Beyolteim Mohammed (Chief G3 Operations) – Security; and Brig Gen Yehuza Salifu (DCSO, Plans and Policy) – Chair, CPC.
Brig Gen Y Salifu, in his opening remarks, said GAF’s IDEC is a biennial platform which assembles relevant global players from the defence and security space, to discuss issues of interest, as well as showcase cutting-edge military technology.
The theme for IDEC 24 will be “Enhancing Regional Mechanisms for Addressing Contemporary Security Challenges in Africa”, with the overarching objectives being; to strengthen international collaboration, provide a platform to discuss topical issues of defence and security importance, and showcase cutting-edge technological solutions in the defence and security industry.
The 2-day event will assemble top notch experts from military establishments across the globe, law enforcement and security agencies, academia, international public organizations from global, regional and sub-regional bodies, and the defence industry, he added.
General Salifu further stated that the conference sessions will deliberate on derivative topics from the theme, including Violent Extremism and Terrorism (VET) in West Africa, role of regional bodies in addressing contemporary threats, inter-agency cooperation and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Drones.
He rounded off that IDEC 24 is a testament of the Ghanaian military’s commitment to staying at the forefront of defence technology and strategy, and that by sharing knowledge and engaging with its international partners, GAF can contribute to a more secured and peaceful country, sub-region and continent.
The technology exhibition would offer opportunity for defence industry players to discuss and display latest technology, whiles space would also be availed for networking, through bilateral and social sessions.
IDEC 24 will assemble over five hundred (500) delegates including about twenty (20) Chiefs of the Army Staff (COASs) from across the African continent and beyond, twenty-seven (27) subject-matter experts as Speakers, twenty-three (23) Sponsors and Exhibitors, and fifteen (15) Media Partners.
It is a collaboration between GAF; Great Minds – a leading global, full service, turnkey event management company based in Dubai, which specializes in conceptualization, development, and delivery of world-class events across the Middle East and Africa – and the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute (GOGMI) – a Ghanaian Gulf of Guinea think-tank.
IDEC 24, which will be held at Burma Hall, and the Great Minds Events Centre at Burma Camp, Accra, had its maiden iteration in 2022, with the Ghana Navy as the lead organizer, and Great Minds Events Management LLC, as strategic partners, under the theme: “Strengthening international collaboration to combat terrorism and transnational organized crime”.
Responding to questions about results of the previous IDEC, Col K Obiri-Yeboah said, such benefits are both internal to military and also external, adding that, out of these conferences, forces review their tactics, standardize operation procedures, etc.
He said such symposia help with new ideas to retrain through military exercises, which help in honing skills, whiles the defence exhibitions helps in the procurement of appropriate technologies, whereas improvement in collaboration with international partners are facilitated, and current trends of review of terrorism and transnational organized crimes are undertaken.
He went on to say that, indicators to look out for as yields of IDEC 24 for GAF would be; appropriate exercises organized after conference, altering of techniques and tactics, procurements of appropriate defence and security technologies, Col Obiri-Yeboah concluded.
Conference Speakers expected include; Commander-In-Chief, GAF – His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; Defence Minister, Ghana – Mr Dominic Nitiwul; COAS, GAF – Major General (Maj Gen) Bismarck Onwona; Commander, Zimbabwe National Army – Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Anselem Sanyatwe; COAS, South Africa National Defence Force – Lt Gen Lawrence Mbatha; Deputy COAS, Democratic Republic of Congo Lt Gen Nduru Jacques, amongst many.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
