Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Commandant, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) – Major General (Maj Gen) Matthew Kweku Essien, has paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Republic of Ghana – Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, to formally invite her to the Military College’s upcoming 2024 Public Lecture.
Maj Gen MK Essien visited Her Ladyship Justice G.A.E.S. Torkornoo at her offices in Accra on Thursday 20 June 2024 to invite her and Members of the Judiciary, to the Public Lecture which is billed for Monday 1 July 2024, from 2:30pm – 5:30pm on the topic: “REFLECTION OF DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OVER THE MILITARY, A WAY FORWARD FOR SUSTAINABILITY”.
In his remarks, General Essien informed the CJ that should she honour the College’s invitation to be present at the Lecture – which will be delivered by Mr Francis Poku – a former Ghanaian Minister for National Security – her presence would give impetus to the programme, and open up the college for more cooperation with the military’s civilian counterparts.
He further gave a brief profile of GAFCSC as: a Higher Military Institution for the training of Senior Officers of GAF and that at any point, the College has over 35 allied Officers/Students from 16 allied African countries.
He continued that GAFCSC is currently pursuing academic programs under the mentorship of the Ghana Institute of Management Public Administration (GIMPA) with Masters programs being: 1) Master of Science in Defence and International Politics; 2) Master of Science in Security Studies; 3) starting a PhD program in September; and all academic programs are open to civilians of all categories.
GAFCSC also runs modular courses that are open to civilians, such as i) Conflict and Crises Management; ii) Defence Management Course; iii) Maritime Sector Governance Course; iv) Counter Terrorism and Improvise Explosive Device Course; v) Multi Domain Operations Course.
In her response, Her Ladyship the Chief Justice was particularly impressed with the initiative of the College to collaborate with state institutions on such issues as consolidating Ghana’s democracy, and expressed her delight on the theme for the Public Lecture, noting that it was most appropriate, especially at such a time of Ghana’s democratic journey.
Assuring the Commandant of the readiness of the Judiciary to assist the College with Facilitators/Resource Persons for the various models and programmes run at the College and the entire Armed Forces, she stated that the stability and security of Ghana should be the concern of all citizens, and that every stakeholder must collectively work towards that end at all times.
The 2020 Edition of GAFCSC’s annual Public Lecture, which will take place at the HAMIDU HALL, Otu Barracks, Teshie Ridge, Accra, is open to the public, with Ambassador Josephine Annabelle Nkrumah – Economic Community of West African States’ Resident Representative in Liberia; and Professor Kwesi Aning – Director, Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, as Reviewers.
The Chief Justice’s team included the Judicial Secretary – Ms Cynthia Pamela Akotoaa Addo; Director Legal Reforms – Madam Grace Tagoe, and high ranking officials of the Judicial Council, whiles the Commandant’s entourage included Colonel (Col) Maxwell Mantey – Chief Coordinator, and Col Dominic Buah – Chief Instructor, Junior Division.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
