Govt presents armoured vehicles to Armed Forces to combating terrorism and extremism
As part of measures to put the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in readiness to combat terrorism and violent extremism in the country, the government has presented 33 armoured vehicles to the military, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said.
He said there was also continuous training of the military in counter-terrorism within and outside of the country, while efforts were also being made to increase equipment and logistics supply to them to facilitate their operations.
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President Akufo-Addo, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the GAF, announced this at the 2019 graduation ceremony of Regular Career Commission and Special Duties Course 57 of the GAF at the Ghana Military Academy and Training School in Teshie, in Accra on Friday.
Parade
After 15 months of intensive training, 132 graduating cadets were commissioned into the GAF as fully fledged professional military officers by President Akufo-Addo, who was also the reviewing officer at the passing-out parade.
The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, including the top brass of the GAF, families of the graduating class and sections of the public.
They were treated to well rehearsed military displays and drills of various formations with melodious tunes provided by a mass band, numbering about 100 bandsmen.
Senior Under Officer Barnette Nketiah was adjudged the Best All Round Officer Cadet. He also received the Chief of the Army Staff Award.
Assurance
President Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that the government would continue with its transformation agenda of the GAF to enhance its capability for national development.
He said in February this year, the government presented 50 buses, 42 Land Cruisers, as well as 52 pickup trucks as part of the first tranche of 138 staff and operational vehicles for the GAF.
On accommodation, the President said as part of a barracks regeneration programme, a $100-million military housing project was also started which included the reconstruction of the Ghana Military Academy and Training School, the construction of 192 two-bedroom flats, 640 units of two-bedroom half compound houses, and a 240-unit self-contained military hostel.
President Akufo-Addo further said the Ghana Military Academy would soon witness the construction of an administration office block with 48 offices and conference rooms, a two-storey 240-capacity classroom block and an auditorium with a 640 seating capacity, while a wall would also be constructed around the academy boundary.
Military-civilian relations
The President charged the newly commissioned officers to consider civilians as partners in national development, for which reason they needed to court their support by acting in ways to promote national integration and cohesion.
He also urged them to guard against acts that were likely to bring the name of the country and the image of the GAF into disrepute, adding “your actions should enhance, or at the very least, maintain the standards set out by preceeding generations of officers of the Armed Forces”.
Democracy
President Akufo-Addo said it took the blood and sacrifices of generations of Ghanaian patriots to establish the country’s constitutional democracy, which makes Ghana the standard-bearer of democracy on the African continent.
He said the country could not achieve its desired development objectives of improving the lives of the people without peace and stability, saying “as your Commander-in-Chief, I promise to provide you with the necessary resources to enable you to carry out your roles effectively”.