Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff at the Presidency has assured the Military High Command of government commitment to retool the Ghana Armed forces
The Chief of staff said this at the 2nd Matriculation ceremony at the National College of Defence Studies, participants of the 2-25 course
“Let me assure the military high command that Government is fully committed to ensuring that you have the resources and necessary tools to work, he said.
This is because you are invaluable to the security, social and economic development of our country and so I will use this platform to thank you for your service to the nation, he added
According to the Chief of Staff, the ceremony, which is the second in the history of the College, is a testament to government collective commitment to ensure that the Armed Forces and MDAs are equipped with the requisite human resources at the strategic level to navigate the complex challenges of the contemporary global landscape.
He said he is aware that only a select few have the opportunity to undergo strategic-level training at home or abroad because running such a course is expensive and, more importantly, reserved for only the very best.
“It is in light of the very few vacancies we could access abroad and the cost of training overseas that as a nation, we decided that it was time to establish our own Defence College to mitigate the challenge of cost and provide a little more opportunity to more of our best to attain that level of training before we thrust them into positions and roles that demand the highest levels of skill sets for strategic thinkers’ he added.
The Chief of Staff further indicated that the ceremony has also provided an opportunity to extend this level of training to other counterparts from the Ministeries Departments Agencies, in conformity with best practices at prestigious Defence and War Colleges around the world.
Again, Mr. Debrah also expressed his happiness to hear that from a maiden course capacity of 19 participants, all from Ghana, the National College of Defence Studies have increased participation to 25, including 4 allied officers from Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia.
“I also want to extended similar sentiments to other colleagues from the Ghana Revenue Authority, National Security Secretariat and Ghana Civil Aviation Authority”
I expect that more MDAs would take advantage of this program to produce a cohort of strategic thinkers who are required to guide decision-making and policy development within our public and civil service to a whole new level.
The presence of allied participants and the participants from the MDAs accorsing to the Chief of Staff is also a reminder that we live in an interconnected and interdependent world where the actions of one country or institution can affect many others.
It is therefore essential that we build alliances and mutual dependency based on trust, shared values, and mutual respect, and this medium of study helps us in a large way to achieve that goal, he stressed
“I have been briefed that the challenge for MDAs is sponsorship and that, for a win-win situation, the government has been formally approached to pick up the tab by placing the College on subvention.
The Chief of Staff in this regard said also assured the Commandant that Government will immediately take a look at the request and hopefully revert as soon as possible.
He also congratulated the National College for Defence Studies the feat you have chalked within the two years of establishment by attracting allied participants to subscribe to the Course.
This in his words means that the College is on top of its game even at this early stage of your establishment and he urged the authorities to look to the future with enthusiasm and ambition, ensuring that the vision of becoming a centre of excellence is achieved within the shortest possible time.
“I have been informed that after the establishment of this College in 2023, the Ministry of Defence and the Military High Command also initiated the process for a Presidential Charter for the establishment of the National Defence University which was granted on 19 December 2024, with the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College and Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, as the initial Colleges forming the nucleus Colleges of the National Defence University.
The expectation is that the Military High Command would expedite the process of migrating NCDS and the other training institutions such as Training and Doctrine Command and the Ghana Military Academy to the academic control of the National Defence University to complete the process and give the National Defence University the status and responsibilities therein.
“I am aware of the fact that the National Defence University still have some work to do and will also require some logistics support to be functional” he added.
This is why the issue of constructing a permanent campus for NCDS is pertinent because as I have been told, the National Defence University will be collocated with NCDS at the yet-to-be-constructed campus. I am also aware that some preliminary work has been done to commence construction of the NCDS permanent site soon.
Julius Debrah also assured that Government will expedite the process to start and complete construction as quickly as practicable.
I have also taken note of the College’s vision and objectives which aim to imbue leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, required to address Ghana and Africa’s complex security challenges.
“As you go through this training, I want to remind you of contemporary threats posed by terrorists and violent extremist groups in our sub-region and beyond.
The Ghana National Security Strategy document recognises these existential security challenges which also include climate change, youth unemployment, poverty, illegal mining, and vigilantism among others.
To tackle these security challenges, Ghana’s national security strategy emphasises the crucial role of enhancing regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and capacity building. It also mentions the significance of strengthening border security, improving governance structures, and promoting social and economic development to address the root causes of these challenges.
For his part Mr. Julius Debrah indicated that “for this reason I consider the theme for Course 2-25 which is; ‘SMART Governance for Sustainable Development’, apt and timely.
The theme provides the framework for all scholarly and research discussions for your course.he said
Government expects that at the end of this program, you would have identified the problems and proffered innovative solutions for your institutions and Government.
I expect the College to equip you with the knowledge and skills to safeguard our nation’s peace, security, and development. I challenge you at the end of this course to propose a path towards the creation of a more efficient, effective, and ethical governance system that can address complex societal challenges while promoting trust between government and citizens as part of your advocacy for SMART governance.
