Philanthropist builds Transit Lodge for Ghana Armed Forces

A twenty-unit transit accommodation has been donated to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to support its peacekeeping operations.

The facility, provided by the Chief Executive Officer of Paragon Company Limited, Kwasi Amoo Serebour, is to complement the B.K. Akafia Transit Lodge, also known as the UN Village, which is mainly for Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) of the GAF.

Named after the Chief of Army Staff of the GAF, Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, in recognition of his contribution to the military, the facility was inaugurated at the Burma Camp yesterday.

It brings to two the number of transit facilities for outstation personnel during rotations for peace support operations and other essential duties for the GAF.

Pledge honoured

At the handover and inauguration ceremony, Mr Serebour recounted that during the inauguration of the B.K. Akafia Transit Lodge by Major General Oppong-Peprah in 2021, he was impressed when he learnt of the vision of B.K. Akafia.

As a result, he said he pledged to provide the military with an additional facility to complement the lodge for free.

“And here we are today, witnessing the inauguration of this facility.

I have built this edifice for the GAF and hope that God will grant us good health and long life so that we can continue to do more for the force,” he said.

The Paragon Company Limited CEO said the facility would help to enhance the well-being of the military whose peacekeeping exploits had helped to place the country on the globe.

 Major General Oppong-Peprah expressed his gratitude to Mr Serebour for the gesture.

He narrated that during his time as Director of Army Peace Keeping Operations, he saw at first hand the inconvenient accommodation for personnel who embarked on  peace support operations.

“Having been in Peacekeeping from 1963, and we didn’t have anywhere for officers and soldiers to lay their heads, I decided to make it a priority to address that issue when I was appointed as the Chief of the Army Staff, and that was the first project I launched,” Major General Oppong-Peprah recounted.

He said as an addition to the project, the plan was also to construct garages within the area to keep all UN equipment.

That, he said, would ensure that everything meant for UN peace support operations was kept within the village.

“We want you all to bear testimony to the fact that this is not the end of the UN Village.

I’m placing it as a charge to my successors to continue the concept if I’m not able to complete it,” the Chief of Army Staff stated.