President urges calm in Bawku

President John Dramani Mahama has given an assurance that the peace mediation process being led by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, will resume next week as part of intensified efforts to restore calm in the Bawku area.

“We have triggered the Otumfuo mediation process, which saw all stakeholders participate in discussions in Kumasi on a roadmap towards peace.

I have been assured by the Asantehene  that the process will commence next week when he returns from his brief visit abroad,” he stated.

“Only two days ago, an incident in a marketplace triggered an unfortunate loss of lives and criminal vandalism of property.

I wish to emphasise that nobody gains from  this situation of conflict and insecurity,” he said.

He, therefore, called on all parties involved in the longstanding dispute to embrace peace and support ongoing reconciliation efforts.

“We need the cooperation of all to restore peace in Bawku and its environs.

I entreat all sides to embrace peace as we dialogue to resolve this age-old dispute,” President Mahama urged.

He was speaking at a graduation ceremony held at the Ghana Military Academy yesterday.

Graduation

The ceremony saw the commissioning of 63 new officers from the Regular Career Course Intake 63 to commence their professional military careers.

The newly commissioned officers consisted of 138 males and 25 females.

The group comprised 110 army cadets, 28 navy cadets, and 25 air force cadets, all of whom successfully completed an intensive 18-month military training programme designed for enlisted cadets with special qualifications.

They were made up of professionals of various fields of study from the various tertiary institutions across the country.

Some of the cadets marching during the parade at the Ghana Military Academy in Accra

President Mahama further congratulated the military men on the sacrifices they had made even at their peril to protect lives and property in the conflict area. 

In resetting the nation to build a better Ghana, he said his government would aggressively pursue the ideals of operational and combat readiness of the GAF.

“We will resource the GAF; this means better equipment, including more simulators, advanced training and the ability to mobilise swiftly in times of need.

You will be equipped to excel in your duties, which will assess the retooling initiative and facilitate cost-effective outcomes to equip our army to the standards required for a 21st Century defence force,” President Mahama said.

Under his watch as the Commander in Chief of the GAF, he gave the assurance that merit-based promotions hinged on competence and not connections would  be the norm and not the exception.

He added that his government would expand opportunities for non-commissioned officers to access officer cadet training.

“I believe every soldier should have a fair chance to rise optimally through the ranks, especially when they merit it.

As a hallmark of my administration, exhibited across all sectors, I will ensure professionalism and transparency within the GAF,” the President added.

Accommodation challenge

He also gave an assurance that his administration would address the most pressing concerns of the  troops, starting with the need for quality housing.

He promised that the government would construct new housing units in the barracks while refurbishing dilapidated and abandoned military accommodation across the nation.

In addition to improving accommodation in the barracks, he said his government would establish the Armed Forces' Home Ownership Scheme to provide officers and soldiers with the opportunity to own their private homes.

That, he said,  would help provide  military families with the comfort and security that they deserved.

Already, he said the Ministry of Defence was working to fix the acute feeding challenges that his government inherited from the previous administration.

That strategy is three-pronged: providing emergency food supplies, paying food supplies on time while retiring the outstanding debts we inherited, and partnering the private sector to venture into mechanised farming under the Defence Industry Holding Company Limited.