Ghana Armed Forces outdoors new regiment

A new regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), 154 Armoured Regiment, has been introduced along with its first Commanding Officer (CO) in Sunyani in the Bono Region.

The 154 Armoured Regiment was carved out of the Two Independent Reconnaissance Squadron which was part of the 153 Armoured Armoured Regiment.

Created in August 2019, the new regiment is to provide armour support for the Central Command and an additional responsibility for the Northern Command.

Introduction

The introduction ceremony brought together the regional commanders of the various security agencies, officers, Regimental Sergeant Majors, the clergy and civilian employees of the Third Infantry Battalion.

Men and officers of the battalion held a parade with an impressive march, showing their excellent skills in march past.

They also marched their colours with skills amid beautiful performance from the Military Band, which attracted applause from the gathering.

After the display by the soldiers, the first CO, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Kofi Obiri-Yeboah, was ushered into office and presented with his file of office.

GAF expansion

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) the Central Command, Brigadier General Joseph Aphour, in an address, said there was an ongoing expansion drive by the GAF to position it to effectively address the ever-changing security threats confronting the country and undertake its constitutional mandate.

He said the ongoing drive would see the creation of commands, units and sub-units and upgrading of existing sub-units into fully-fledged units as in the case of 154 Armoured Regiment.

Brig Gen. Aphour explained that the upgrading of the erstwhile two independent reconnaissance squadron to 154 armoured regiment was relevant, especially to the central command, adding that the upgrading would serve as an important enhancement to the combat capability of the command.

“The development is pertinent as the country continues to engage the threat of terrorism and insurgency along its frontiers”, he stated, adding that the enhancement of the command was well-timed as the country was preparing for the general election.

Challenges

Brig Gen. Aphour said inadequate infrastructure, manpower, equipment and general logistics were some of the challenges confronting the command.

“154 Armoured Regiment, as a regiment, is beginning as a brand new unit and as such the teething challenges and opportunities associated with new beginnings will come to the fore”, he explained.

He said in the midst of the challenges, it was refreshing to observe that there was great opportunity that comes with such a new beginning, saying “the promise of hope, growth and innovation was inspiring” and urged the new command officer to focus more on that perspective.

Brig Gen. Aphour reminded the officers of the regiment to recognise that they were part of a historic occurrence in the Ghana Army and charged them to rally behind the commanding officer to ensure the full establishment of the dream of 154 Armoured Regiment of Ghana.

Capacity development

Lt Col. William Anyimiah Kobby Ackah, who handed over to Lt Col. Obiri-Yeboah, urged him to build upon the capacity development, operational excellence, welfare and capability efficiency of the unit during his tenure of office.

“Priority was given to training, equipment efficiency and maintenance, administration and combat efficiency in order to achieve high morale of personnel, operational readiness and excellence”, he stated, adding that with the support from officers of the unit, all operational commitments were achieved despite the challenges.

Lt Col. Ackah commended the officers, regimental sergeant major, men, women, civilian employees and families of the unit for their service and commitment, noting that their output had brought the unit this far.

Lt Col Ackah, who congratulated Lt Col. Obiri-Yeboah on the appointment, pointed out that leading and building a new unit was certainly not for the faint hearted or weak in spirit but a great person.