The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has lauded the Ghana Armed Forces High Command and the Control Board of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College for their crucial contribution to promoting peace and security on the African continent.

This contribution, which is reflected in the courses offered at the College to middle and senior level military officers as well as civilians, provides a unique opportunity for the students and graduates to foster linkages and information sharing among allied countries in the quest to ensure security, according to the Vice President.

Vice President Bawumia, who was Guest of Honour at the joint graduation ceremony of the Senior Division Course 39 and Msc. Defence & International Politics graduates of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College at the Otu Barracks, Teshie-Accra on Thursday 16th August, 2018, said this has placed the college in a unique position as a centre of learning in Africa.

“The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College continues to carve a niche for itself as a center of excellence in Africa, for the training of officers for command, staff and leadership roles in their various Armed Forces and Allied Security Institutions.

“I have observed that the College has a unique system of upholding regional and international connections at different levels. The 20 graduates from 9 sister African countries is a clear manifestation of these international linkages.

“As the Chairman of the Armed Forces Council, my engagement on defence issues has brought to the fore, the relevance of these international linkages in responding to our defence and security issues,” Vice President Bawumia indicated.

“I am reliably informed that the vacancies for the next course i.e. (Course 40) have about 30 officers from 14 African countries. That is a remarkable feat and I commend the Commandant and his staff for the good job they are doing.”

58 granduants received either the Pass Staff College (PSC) symbol and/or a Master of Science in Defence and International Politics (MDIP) after 11 and 18 months of study respectively as part of the Senior Command and Staff Course 39 and the Weekend MDIP Batch 3.

This year, and for the first time, the Combined Joint African Exercise (CJAX) 2018 was conducted with observers from sister Command and Staff Colleges of some member states of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), under the sponsorship of the German Government and in collaboration with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre.

“This is a healthy development as we try to share ideas and experiences with other regional blocs in order to synchronize our interoperability in the face of numerous conflicts on the African continent,” Dr Bawumia stated.

Source: peacefmonline.com