The Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Major General Richard Addo Gyane, has bowed out from the centre following his retirement from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
Maj Gen. Gyane bows out after spending two and a half years at the KAIPTC as its head, and overall, four decades in the GAF, having joined the Ghana Military Academy as a Flight Cadet in 1985.
The Army General handed over the authority to his successor, the Deputy Commandant of KAIPTC, Air Commodore David Anetey Akrong, at his pulling out ceremony held at the centre in Teshie-Accra last Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Ceremony
The colourful ceremony, characterised by a well-dressed military parade and drills, was also attended by a host of dignitaries, including Deputy Minister of Defence, Brogya Gyenfi, traditional authorities, foreign ambassadors, high-ranking members of the GAF and KAIPTC.
Notable among the dignitaries were the French Ambassador to Ghana, Jules-Armand Aniambossou; the Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger; the Australian Ambassador to Ghana, Berenice Owen-Jones; the Austrian Ambassador to Ghana, Jurgen Heissel; the German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, and the Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Ingrid Mollestad.
Achievement
Maj Gen. Gyane highlighted the centre’s achievements under his leadership after taking over at a time when a lot of agencies were battling with COVID-19.
Among some mentions, he said the centre had renovated several facilities, including the iconic Main Gate, the WYPSI Block, and the Multi-Purpose Court. Additionally, the centre's IT infrastructure was also upgraded with the support of the German Development Agency (GIZ) and UNITAR.
That, he said, had enabled KAIPTC to embark on an ambitious E-learning regime, which aims at boosting finances and expanding the scope and reach of its operations.
The Commandant indicated that KAIPTC had embarked on an expansion programme in logistics and programme outline to increase dwindling resources, as well as commercialised some of its courses and expanded its academic programmes to raise funds.
He said that there were several plans in the pipeline, including the establishment of an undergraduate school to offer courses in peace support and peace building.
“This initiative aims to condition the youth to choose peace in all situations, no matter the provocation.
Additionally, KAIPTC is working on setting up a hotel to augment its accommodation facilities and a Digital Learning and Innovation Unit to modernise training and academic programmes,” he said.
Gratitude
He expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama and former President Nana Akufo-Addo for the opportunities given him to serve his country as a serviceman.
He also acknowledged his predecessors and senior officials of the GAF, under whose tutelage he rose as a non-infantry army officer to a Major General before retiring from the GAF.
He also reserved special mentions for the Norwegian, Swiss, Australian, Austrian, German, French, among others, for their unwavering support to the centre, especially their finances, which are the backbone for the centre’s survival.
The Commandant also eulogised the dedicated staff of the KAIPTC for their cooperation and contribution to his success story at the centre and urged them to continue to support the new leadership to attain more successes.
Message to successor
The Commandant urged his successor, Air Commodore Akrong, to be resolute and work harder to ensure that the structures established during his tenure were built upon to perform optimally.
“Although the going would not be easy, I am confident that with the support of our partners, more would be done; also bear in mind that in every endeavour, the temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed,” Maj. Gen. Addo stated.
