The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) has graduated 76 officers from its Course 82 programme after 19 weeks of intensive training.
The course, which featured 61 officers from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and 15 military personnel from allied countries, was to equip officers with the expertise required for managing internal security and insurgency operations in support of civil authorities.
The allied participants included three officers from the Botswana Defence Forces, one from the Gambian Armed Forces, one from the Armed Forces of Liberia, seven from the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, two from the Sierra Leone Armed Forces and one from the Armed Forces of Cameroon.
The course provided them with vital skills and knowledge to address contemporary security challenges, including terrorism, ethnic disputes and environmental disasters.
It also included a two-week internal security and frontline insurgency training package conducted in collaboration with sister security services.
The graduation ceremony, which took place in Accra yesterday, also honoured some of the participants for their outstanding performances during the course.
Capt. D. C. Kludze emerged as the Overall Best Student; Capt. A. Abdul-Madjeed and Maj. M. Tijani, were awarded Second and Third Best Students respectively, with the latter also receiving the Best Assistant Commandant’s Paper.
Maj. M. S. Bah from The Gambia was recognised as the Best Allied Student, while Maj. B. C. Kaisara from Botswana won the Second Best Assistant Commandant’s Paper.
Speaking at the ceremony, a former Commandant of GAFCSC, Maj. Gen. Nii Carl Coleman (retd), commended the graduates for their dedication and resilience throughout the rigorous course.
He emphasised the importance of the training, which combined seminars and lectures with experiential studies, to broaden the officers’ professional and general outlook on both national and international issues.
“This ceremony marks the end of 19 weeks of hard work and sleepless nights. It is undoubtedly a significant milestone in your professional development,” he said.
Maj. Gen. Coleman urged the officers to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course effectively in their respective roles, especially in addressing multidimensional challenges such as terrorism, ethnic disputes and environmental and human-induced disasters.
The former Commandant of GAFCSC also highlighted the role of the training in fostering collaboration among participants from diverse backgrounds, reinforcing the need for integration and collective efforts to address security challenges across the continent.
He also expressed his gratitude to the allied nations for their participation, noting that the collaborative efforts contributed to the college’s success in preparing officers for future challenges.
Maj. Gen. Coleman expressed optimism that the graduates’ stay in Ghana had been rewarding and that they would return home with fond memories.