Naval Commodore Faustina Anokye to assume new UN role
A send-off ceremony has been held for the Director of the Defence Civilian Establishment of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Naval Commodore Faustina Boakyewaa Anokye.
Naval Commodore Anokye is leaving the GAF duty to assume a new role as Deputy Commander of the United Nations Force, UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
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She is the first Naval officer, male or female, to co-command a UN mission in Africa, which command she will assume later this month, the first female to earn that rank in the Ghana Navy.
Naval Commodore Anokye succeeds the first female to occupy that position, the late Brigadier General Constance Emefa Ejeani-Afenu, who ended her duty last year but passed away months later.
The ceremony was attended by the Military High Command, including the acting Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Richard Addo Gyane; the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Oppong Peprah; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issa Yakubu, and other senior officers of the GAF.
There was also a representative from the Canadian High Commission to Ghana, Deputy Defence Attache Lt Col Kirsten Dubreuil, as well as Morocco's Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Iamane Ouaadil.
Family members and friends, as well as some personnel of the GAF, were also presented.
Handing over
Naval Commodore Anokye handed the symbol of office to Brigadier General Augustine Asiedu, who is the new Director of the Defence Civilian Establishment of the GAF.
Brigadier Gen. Gyane described Ms Anokye as exemplary, saying “the entire military establishment is proud of you for your achievement. Yes, Ghana was the first country to produce a female Deputy Force Commander for the MINURSO, but we are more proud because you have become the first Naval officer, male or female, to assume this role”.
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"With the successes you have chalked up in your career, we have no doubt that you will again succeed in this new role," he said.
Rear Admiral Yakubu said: "You have not only become a trailblazer but also an icon for the establishment and a great mentor to the many female officers and women who have been commissioned after you."
For his part, Brigadier General Asiedu commended his predecessor for her effort at transforming a unit of the GAF, leading to the unit being elevated as an independent department.
"I commend you for the foresight and I pledge to work as hard to maintain the new standards you have set," he added.
Gratitude
Naval Commodore Anokye expressed gratitude to the military establishment, particularly the Navy, for the opportunity and support offered her that had enabled her to attain the feat.
"Sir, permit me to leave you with the words of Marie Curie: ‘You cannot hope to build a better world without improving individuals. To that end, each one of us must work for his or her own improvement and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity. Our particular being is to aid those who we think we can’," she said.
Naval Commodore Anokye was commissioned into the Ghana Navy in 1996.