Professor Ahmed Jinapor (right), Director-General of the GTEC, interacting with Lt General Thomas Oppong Peprah, CDS of the Ghana Armed Forces

National Defence University timely for regional security — GTEC

Severious Kale-Dery Education Apr - 02 - 2024 , 09:46

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has expressed the confidence that a National Defence University will address security concerns in the sub-region by training its security services.

After a meeting with the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt General Thomas Oppong Peprah, at the offices of the GTEC, the Director-General of the GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor, said the university, when established, would not only help the country to empower its security service with the requisite skills and knowhow, but it would also be a good avenue for other countries in the sub-region.

National Defence University

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the GTEC are collaborating towards the establishment of the National Defence University in the country. The CDS led a high-profile delegation to pay a courtesy call on the DG and his staff at the GTEC headquarters in Accra to discuss issues of higher education within the GAF with the GTEC and also to strengthen the existing relationship between the two institutions.

At the meeting, Prof. Jinapor gave the assurance that GTEC would work towards ensuring that the university, “is up and running and not just that, but under your tenure”. He said the university the GAF was working on was not in isolation, but was in other countries such as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and the US.

Security concerns

Prof. Jinapor described the university as even more necessary being informed by the security concerns within the sub-region. He was hopeful that other paramilitary institutions would take advantage of the university and not to seek for their own because “this university is national security and not Ghana Armed Forces”.

Prof. Jinapor, however, cautioned against running programmes other than the courses and domain the university was mandated to provide. Lt Gen. Peprah expressed the desire to continue with the collaboration between the two institutions and looked forward to all the assistance GTEC could render him.

He explained that he was also at the GTEC to show appreciation for the support and congratulatory messages extended to him when he was named the new CDS.