VICE President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged soldiers to maintain high standards of discipline and professionalism to enhance the civilian-military relationships.
Dr. Bawumia, who spoke at yesterday’s graduation ceremony of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCFC), said soldiers must uphold the core values of the Armed Forces in the discharge of their roles in order to gain respect of the people.
“I am fully convinced that having pursued the Master’s Degree Programme in Defence and International Politics in addition to the Command and Staff Course, you are now equipped to perform your roles both in the national and international arena,” he noted.
“Make it a duty to ensure that your output in your future deployments reflects these high standards.
You are further charged to go out as torchbearers and worthy ambassadors of the College,” the Vice President stated.
He continued, “You will be expected to exhibit exemplary leadership qualities, exceptional communication skills and appreciable knowledge of the military and global issues.”
Dr. Bawumia also charged the management of GAFCFC to develop academic modules that would fit into the ongoing digitalisation and cyber security issues.
According to him, the military and technology are inseparable, stressing that technology presents an opportunity for the military to deepen knowledge in that domain for the benefit of humanity.
He said the College’s programmes are highly patronised and, therefore, need to serve as a motivation to the Ghana Armed Forces to explore and tap into other areas of study that are necessary for the socio-economic development of the nation.
“This is a passionate appeal and a challenge that I am throwing to the Ghana Armed Forces to consider,” Dr. Bawumia intimated.
He said with the status of the College as a tertiary institution and its flagship integrated programme of Master of Science in Defence and International Politics, the GAFCSC has assumed a greater role in shaping the leadership and managerial skills of many professionals from Ghana and other sister African countries.
The Vice President described as refreshing news of management of the College’s intention to run another Master’s programme in Security Studies and PhD in Defence and International Politics is coming to fruition.
Dr. Bawumia pledged the government’s commitment to provide the necessary funds to support the expansion of physical infrastructure and other facilities required for the realisation of its plans to increase admission to clear the backlog of people on the waiting list.
“While government will continue to play its part, I also appeal to business entities to include GAFCSC in their corporate social responsibility projects to help ease the burden on the government,” he said.
“We all have a moral responsibility to ensure that the military is well trained and equipped to protect the country and its citizens,” he added.
To the graduates, he said, “GAFCSC has upgraded your knowledge and equipped you to function effectively and efficiently in higher appointments as you progress in your careers.”
In all, 85 officers graduated, 59 of which are from the Ghana Armed Forces, with 26 others coming from sister African countries including Benin, Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Togo and Burkina Faso.
The overall best student for the Senior Command and Staff course went to Major Raymond Owusu-Ababio of the Ghana Army whilst that of Masters in Defence and International Politics went to an Assistant Research Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
BY Charles Takyi-Boadu