Kofi Ampeah Woode
Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Kwame Owusu-Afriyie has handed over as Commanding Officer (CO) of Ghana Army’s 5 Infantry Battalion (5Bn), with Lt Col Prosper Adabla assuming command of the “Pink Lions” (as the 5Bn fraternity is affectionately called).
The Transfer-of-Authority ceremony took place at the Office of the CO, 5Bn Headquarters, Arakan Barracks, Burma Camp, Accra, on Tuesday 13 May 2025, and was supervised by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Southern Command (S/COMD) – Brigadier General Isaac Nicholas Paintsil.
The outgone Lion-hene (Lion king) – Lt Col K Owusu-Afriyie took over the reins of Command of 5Bn from Col Prince Eric Tandoh, on Thursday 9 November 2023.
The tenure of the CO saw the following developments at 5Bn:
1) Construction of a 7-aside soccer pitch, Basketball/Tennis and Volleyball Courts sports complex; 2) Construction of Staging Area for Land Combat Firepower Demonstration at Hill Small, Battle Training Camp, Bundase; 3) Reconstruction of the Battalion Headquarters Walkway;
Others are; 4) Fabrication of the Alpha Company storeroom into Young Soldiers’ Accommodation; 5) Construction of the second floor of the ongoing Young Soldiers 120 Unit, 3-storey accommodation; 6) Furnishing of the Conference Room; and; 7) Repainting of the entire Battalion;.
Additionally, there was the; 8) Refurbishing of the Quarter Guard; 9) Construction of a Double Volleyball Court at BTC as part of Pre-deployment Training for ESSMGB GHANCOY 4/ECOMIG GH 5; 10) Installation of 16 Codeless Closed Circuit Television cameras to enhance surveillance and security with in the Unit;
There also was the; 11) Provision of Street Lights along East Arakan Officers’ road and the entire Arakan Barracks; 12) Renovation of Arakan Barracks Mosque; 13) Tiling and fabrication of “Coolspring” Water factory at the battalion Headquarters; 14) Re-grassing of entire 5 Bn Administration and Company Lines;
The rest are; 15) Provision of two (2) Tata pick-up vehicles; 16) Reconstruction of caved-in gutters within Arakan Barracks; 17) Extension of the pig sty; Completion of the Water Hydrant; and 18) Maintenance and rebranding of the “Pink Five” bus.
On Training during the period, 5Bn conducted Land Combat Firepower Demonstration 2023; Joint Internal Security Exercise between Ghana Army (5Bn personnel) and French Army personnel at Arakan Training Area; Operation PEACE ANGEL (a precursor to Op PEACE TRAIL); Pre-deployment Training and Concentration for ESSMGB GH 5 (Task Force Mission) at BTC, among others.
Lt Col Owusu-Afriyie moves on to become the Deputy Director, Land Doctrine, at Ghana Armed Forces’ Training and Doctrine Command.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
