Elsie Initiative Fund constructs 200-bed female accommodation facility for GAF

A 200-bed female accommodation facility has been inaugurated for military personnel at the Army Recruit Training School at Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region, to augment the accommodation needs of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

The project, which was funded by the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) for Women in Peace Operations, marked a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in the GAF.

The Elsie Initiative Fund, launched by the Government of Canada in 2017, is dedicated to increasing the meaningful participation of women in United Nations peace operations. 

Through such funding initiatives, the EIF hopes to make strides towards removing systemic barriers to ensure the involvement of women in peace and security efforts globally.

EIF project

The facility was designed to address the deficit in female accommodation, one of the key barriers to female participation in military roles.

This is the second of such EIF-funded projects in Ghana, having previously funded the construction of a gender-sensitive 100-bed female accommodation facility at the Army Special Operations Training School, Daboya, in the Savannah Region in May 2024. 

Ceremony

The inauguration of the facility yesterday attracted the presence of the Gender Advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff, Group Captain

Theodora Agornyo, the Director-General of International Peace Support Operations at the General Headquarters, Brig. Gen. Augustine Asiedu, and other Commanders from the GAF.

Speaking at the function, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Southern Command, Brig. Gen. Samuel Yeboah Asare, said traditionally, the structures in place for recruits and other training in the GAF had been geared towards the training of male recruits and other officers.

He indicated that in line with global trends of gender equality and the UN agenda on women's peace and security, the GAF had increased its intake of female trainees in all its training institutions.

He said in 2024, the Army Recruit Training School trained 830 recruits out of which 224, representing about 30 per cent, were females, the highest number of females trained by the school so far.

Brig. Gen. Asare, however, noted that the existing facilities were inadequate for the training of the increased number of female recruits.

He said the female recruits were housed in wooden structures, necessitating the collaboration between the GAF and the EIF for the construction of a gender-sensitive facility.

He said GAF took issues of gender inclusivity very seriously and this had been manifested in the number of women deployed to UN peacekeeping missions over the years.

The UN’s Senior Gender Specialist, Dr Afua Ansere said the facility, funded through a $1.5 million project, demonstrated Ghana’s strong commitment to addressing structural barriers that limited women's participation in peacekeeping.

Dr Ansere, who spoke on behalf of the Fund Manager of the Elsie Initiative Fund, Deborah Warren Smith, commended the GAF for consistently showing strong leadership and making gender inclusivity a key priority, adding that it had continued to champion initiatives that promoted the recruitment, retention and deployment of women, ensuring they were prepared to serve in diverse roles, including combat and leadership.
"It is also important to acknowledge Ghana's broader efforts to increase the representation of women in peacekeeping. As one of the top contributors of uniformed women to UN missions, Ghana continues to demonstrate how institutional reforms can drive global progress,” Ms Ansere said.

Influence
A Counsellor at the Canadian High Commission in Ghana in charge of Political and Public Affairs, Elsa Mouelhi-Rondeau, said by deploying more women to UN peace operations, troop and police-contributing countries were even better placed to deliver on their mandates and protect civilians.
She said peacekeeping units that included women could more easily gain the trust of populations affected by conflict and, therefore, obtained important insights and intelligence allowing them to protect all segments of the population, as well as themselves.
Ms Mouelhi-Rondeau said recruitment and training were the beginning of the journey of a peacekeeper, adding that this important step set the tone for soldiers' careers; hence, by providing safe, convivial and inclusive environments that were well adapted to women’s needs, the Ghana Armed Forces would become more attractive to young women, ensuring that they would retain the talent and skills of those recruited, and allow more women to be able to reach their full potential and contribute their skills. 

Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh