Senior officers urged to support integration
Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur on Friday reminded graduates of the nation’s security training institutions to work hard to support efforts at achieving co-operation and regional integration.
He said the training they acquired was not an end in itself since nations in the sub-region demanded positive returns from the knowledge they gained.
He said the training had inculcated in them some of the beliefs and ethics that make this nation what it is, saying, ”You are expected to pass these standards and morality on and thus determine the ideals that will guide our future generations.”
Vice President Amissah-Arthur said this during the graduation ceremony of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFSC) Course 34, at Teshie in Accra.
Sixty seven officers were conferred with the “Past Staff Course” (PSC) certificate after successfully completing the one year course at the College.
Other officers, who successfully completed their Masters programme in Governance and Leadership at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and International Relations and Diplomacy at the Legon Centre for International Relations were conferred with their degrees.
Twenty-six of the PSC graduates came from 11 African countries namely the Gambia, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Nigeria, Togo, Uganda, La Cote d’Ivoire, and Liberia.
The Past Staff Course graduates, who included two ladies, were from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Immigration Service and the Ghana National Fire Service.
Vice President Amissah-Arthur said the graduates had stepped on a career-enhancing path without which it would be difficult to achieve the command position that every career officer must aspire to, adding that, they were “one crucial step closer to acquiring a star.”
He urged the graduates to acquire a strong sense of personal responsibility and take an interest in national and global matters.
“You are no longer simple observers of national and global developments. You have to take an interest in those matters. While your views should not be heard in public, they will be important in the mess and to your family and friends.
“Therefore, inform yourselves of the critical national and global events and issues so that you are always prepared to make a decision about the events that affect your lives,” the Vice President said.
He said the last 40 years of peace-keeping had taught that conflict was unavoidable in many parts of the world and the Ghana Armed Forces was likely to be called upon to join other forces to enforce the peace.
Vice President Amissah-Arthur said: “The likelihood is that one day some of the Ghanaian officers in this room will plan and conduct operations with soldiers from the countries represented here. Your time together and the bonds you have developed should make the assignment easier.”
As the Chairman of the Armed Forces Council, the Vice President expressed joy at efforts to transform the College into a world class Centre of Excellence, capable of providing high quality professional training and education to officers from Ghana and other countries.
He congratulated the graduates on their success and urged them to be objective in their analysis of the problems that confronted their respective nations.
Brigadier General Isaac Mensah Tetteh, Acting Commandant of the College, urged the graduates to work harder to chalk other successes that would enable them to get to the pinnacle of their career.
“From now onwards, you cannot hide under any flimsy excuse as a caveat for non-performance after graduating from this institution renowned for its exceptional and professional military training,” he said.
Prizes were distributed to distinguished graduates, with the overall best prize, the Honour Graduate Award, going to Major Sebastian Arhin.
Source: GNA