Kofi Ampeah Woode
Major General (Maj Gen) Richard Addo Gyane retired from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), after being admitted into the Military Academy in 1985, handing over as Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) to Air Commodore (A/Cdre) David Anetey Akrong, who has been the Deputy Commandant.
The Transfer-of-Authority ceremony was held on Thursday 8 May 2025 at the Schroeder Auditorium, preceded by a Guard-of-Honour at the Centre’s forecourt, then the Commandant and his successor signed the Deeds of Transfer at the VVIP Lounge, supervised by the Deputy Minister for Defence – Mr Ernest Brogya-Genfi.
The retired Army General recounted the early days of his enlistment at the academy where he started as Flight Cadet along with thirteen others who were Army Cadets, but perhaps as fate would have it, he succumbed to peer pressure, and diverted to the Army faculty.
He then chose to be in Ghana Army’s Electrical Mechanical Engineering (EME) Corps, and eventually became the first EME Officer to be promoted to the rank of a Brigadier General, and finally to a Major General.
He became the first non-Infantry Officer of the Ghana Army to be appointed as Commanding Officer (CO) of the Army Headquarters, Burma Camp; and the first non-Infantry Officer to be appointed Director, Plans at the Department of Plans, Research and Development (PR&D), where he rose to become Director General, and played no mean role in GAF’s rapid expansion drive.
He took over as Commandant, KAIPTC on Friday 11 November 2022, at a time when a lot of the infrastructure needed urgent rehabilitation, due to the Centre’s proximity to the sea, and most of the equipment were in a sore state.
Maj Gen Gyane (Rtd) holds a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration; is a professional Engineer; the recipient of Chartered Institute of Leadership and Governance (CILG) Leadership Award 2023; and a Peace Award for 2025 bestowed on him under the auspices of Ghana’s National Peace Council.
Under his tenure, KAIPTC commenced processes to establish an Undergraduate School to offer courses in Peace Support and Peacebuilding, to condition the youth to choose peace in all situations; and started the process to put up a KAIPTC Hotel to augment the accommodation facilities at the Centre.
Some of the feats he chalked as Commandant are; 1) Reconstruction and furnishing of the Women and Youth in Peace and Security Institute (WYPSI) building; 2) Construction of the Digital Centre; 3) Renovation of the Sports Infrastructure; 4) Improvement of the Mess; and the Acquisition of land to expand the physical structure of KAIPTC;
Others are; 5) Renovating the Commandant’s Office; 6) Reconstructing the Main Gate; 7) Renovating the Accommodation facility; 8) Modernizing the Schroeder Auditorium; 9) Improving the natural ambience; 10) Revamping the Peace Garden; 11) Introducing peacocks into the peace Garden; and 12) Acquiring of Health Insurance for Staff;
Additionally, he 13) Deepened Staff engagement and morale; 14) Strengthened team building among staff; 15) Instituted training courses for Traditional Rulers; 16) Introduced commercialized courses; 17) Advanced the Youth Peace and Security Agenda; 18) Expanded the e-Learning; and 19) Promoted high-level discussions on Peace and Security;
For the rest, he 20) Deepened collaboration with Governments, Partners and Former Heads of State; 21) Deepened Media engagements; and 22) Reinforced KAIPTC Media.
Dignitaries present at the welfare ceremony include the Ambassadors of France, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Austria, Australia, the Chief of Staff, General Headquarters, GAF – Air Vice Marshal Joshua Lartei Mensah-Larkai; Traditional Rulers, Senior Officers, and family and friends.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
