The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reaffirmed the gov­ernment’s commitment to provide the National College of Defence Studies (NCDS) with the needed support to enhance the strategic leadership of the Ghana Armed forces (GAF) and make it a centre of excellence.

Such a support, he explained, would enable the country to take ownership of its defence and security education and would also help to reduce the financial cost involved in training security personnel abroad.

• President Akufo-Addo (third from right) and other dignitaries after the programme

“The establishment of this college is not only an administrative move but a forward thinking decision rooted in our need for self-reliance in developing military and civilian leaders who understand both the global security landscape and our own national security priorities,” President Akufo-Addo said.

President Akufo-Addo was speaking at the maiden graduation of 19 graduands of NCDS Course 1 in  Accra on Saturday on the theme, “Our environment, our security, and our develop­ment.”

The NCDS was established in May 2023 to offer strategic courses for senior military officers of the rank of colonel or equivalent and relevant national agencies of the same status.

“While our best and graduands personnel have long been educated abroad, bringing back invalu­able knowledge and skills, the financial cost has been a challenge,” he added.

The graduands comprised 17 senior military of­ficers and two senior civil servants of the National Security and the Ministry of Defence.

They received a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies (MSS) degree and Fellow of NCDS (fncds) certificates from President Akufo-Addo.

He urged the faculty of the college to stay dy­namic and innovative and also develop short-term modules on critical subjects for individuals who could not commit to a full year in-person study.

Such an approach, he said, would expand the reach and impact of the college and allow other leaders and public servants to benefit from its curricula.

He announced that the government, through the support of the Republic of China and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), had secured both external and internal funding to construct a permanent campus for the college.

President Akufo-Addo urged the graduands to utilise the strategic skills obtained from the college to enhance the strategic operation of the GAF.

Delivering the Commandant’s report, Major General Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey, the Comman­dant of the College, said the graduands as part of the course, undertook study tours, and took part in various seminars and lectures in strategic leadership.

Major General Aryeetey said the college intends to increase the intake of course 2 , which would commence in February next year from 19 to 30 participants, including 18 military officers, five senior civil servants, and seven allied participants.

According to him, acquisition of a permanent site and funding remained the two main challeng­es of the college.

He, therefore, appealed to the government to help in the acquisition of a permanent site and also place the college on a subvention to help operationalise its five-year strategic plan to reduce their financial burden.

Major General Aryeetey urged the ministries, departments, and government agencies to take advantage of slots the college had provided for the next course.

He expressed gratitude to the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Vice Admiral Seth Amoa­ma, the current CDS, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Major General Affram, and his team for their role in the establishment, sustain­ability, and the development of the curriculum concept of NCDS.

During the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo, Vice Admiral Amoama, and Mrs Douha Smith, the wife of the late Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith, were conferred by the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, with Honorary Fellowship awards.

Also, Colonel Kwesi Ayima, Colonel Foster O. Okae-Yeboah and Naval Captain Michael A. Larbi were presented with leadership, strategy, and dissertation awards sponsored by Vice Admiral Amoama, President Akufo-Addo and the family of the late Lieutenant General Henry Smith.

Senior Defence Staff of the college, including Major General Aryeetey, were also presented with the Dagger award by the CDS, which represented their fortitude, tenacity, integrity, and intellectual prowess.