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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to help preserve Ghana’s status as the beacon of peace in Africa by ensuring that the 2024 General Election is conducted in an atmosphere of peace and serenity.

He urged them to protect the sovereign will of the Ghanaian people to help guarantee the longevity of the fourth republic.

He was speaking at the GAF annual West African Soldiers Social Activity (WASSA) which was held today (December 22) to climax this year’s activities.

WASSA

The WASSA is celebrated each year to create an informal environment for the GAF to socialise and also give the Command the opportunity to interact and appreciate the contributions of all ranks and the civilian staff.

The programme brought together high ranking officers of the GAF and other civilian staff.

Other dignitaries present were the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Kwame Asuah Takyi.

The occasion was thrilled by the GAF Central Band and one of the country’s famous dancehall and reggae musical artist, Samini, who lit up the evening with a dazzling performance for the entertaining pleasure of the guests.

Retooling of the GAF

President Akufo-Addo further reiterated government’s commitment to sustain the programme of retooling the GAF to enable it to perform it duties effectively and efficiently.

“I assure you that my government will not relent in its efforts to transform the GAF into a formidable force and enhance its capacity to contribute strongly towards the overall development of the nation,” President Akufo-Addo said.

He extended his appreciation to international organsations and countries who supported the GAF in diverse ways to promote infrastructural development, training and equipment acquisition.

He also commended the European Union for recently donating specialised vehicles to the force in the fight against terrorism and tran-national organised crime.

While noting that integration of efforts and close corporate among countries were vital to making the world a safer place, he commended all international partners, particularly those whose governments continue to offer the GAF the opportunities and facilities for quality training.

Accra Initiative

He said it was their efforts that ensured successful implementation of the Accra Initiative which involved a consistent collaboration and cooperation of security and intelligence heads of the country and its neighbors to enhanced fight against terrorism in the region.

President Akufo-Addo said that had helped the country to reinforce the security of its northern and north-eastern borders against infiltrations.

While expressing his appreciation to the support of foreign partners in the Accra Initiative, he said it had greatly enhanced the command and control hub of the Multi-National Joint Task Force Headquarters in Tamale.

In addition, he said it had enhanced the Economic Community of West African States standby force to coordinate their response to the myriad of threats and other emerging ones confronting them.

“It is therefore, my hope and expectation that this cooperation will continue to grow from strength to strength in the coming years,” he stated.

Equipment and accommodation challenge

The Minister of Defence said equipment and accommodation challenges continued to be one of the biggest challenges confronting the GAF.

However, due to the innumerable interventions, he was hopeful that very soon the challenges would be minimised.

“It is for this reason that I seize the opportunity to show gratitude to the President for commissioning a number of government sponsored projects at the Military Academy,” Mr Nitiwul said.

He said those projects did not only help to improve the infrastructural amenities of the academy but also assisted to improve the quality of training of officer cadets as the academy

He said retooling of the GAF was also ongoing and the series of commissioning and handing over of vehicles and equipment was an attestation of government’s commitment to it.

“Let’s remind ourselves that it is our duty to supper the government’s effort by providing an enabling security environment for accelerated national development and growth and, thereby, improving the livelihood of the citizenry,” Mr Nitiwul added.