Security threats in Africa is signal for Ghana to gear up for any eventuality
The immediate past Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Air Commodore Victor K.K. Mamphey, has called for more proactive preparedness in the country’s internal security arrangement to ward off any flashpoint that threatened national peace and security.
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He said the examples of Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the xenophobia in South Africa should sound the alarm for the security apparatus of the nation to gear itself up for any eventuality.
He was addressing a graduation of staff of the Ghana Armed Forces who had gone through the Junior Staff Course (JSC) at the Military Academy and Training School at Teshie in Accra.
Those security challenges in Nigeria and South Africa, Air Commodore Mamphey said, were pointers to the need for more professional preparedness in internal security operations.
Fifty men and women drawn from the military, navy and air force, including a Nigerian Airforce officer, graduated after a 16-week course that upgraded their knowledge in leadership, analytical and communications skills.
“In the current strategic environment, security has become a collective responsibility and must, therefore, be considered in national, regional and international perspectives,” Air Commodore Mamphey said.
While conceding that much had been done to prepare the security agencies for any situation, Air Commodore Mamphey said more needed to be done to have a well-equipped and highly motivated men and women in uniform to protect the country.
Security not preserve of police, military
Air Commodore Mamphey said in present times, security was no longer the preserve of the military and the police.
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“Today, defence and security matters are assessed and managed in multi-dimensional terms. In the current strategic environment, security has become a collective responsibility and must, therefore, be considered in national, regional and international perspectives,” he advised.
To be able to do so, he said, comprehension, anticipation and collaboration were needed at all levels to stave off any acts that could destabilise the country.
At the local level, Air Commodore Mamphey stressed the need for the security setup to be mindful of conflicts that occurred within the society as a result of land and chieftaincy disputes, political rivalry and misunderstanding, as well as the enormous challenges that the production of oil posed to the security agencies.
Illegal small-scale mining and the Fulani menace, with their attendant negative effects on the environment, were flashpoints that required the necessary attention, he added.
“The successful management of the emerging security environment also requires the combined efforts of the traditional security and law-enforcement agencies at the regional and international levels,” Air Commodore Mamphey said.
More collaboration needed
He said for the collaborative efforts of the security agencies to succeed, the inputs of the judiciary, environmental protection agencies, traditional institutions, as well as civil society groups would be needed to stem those emerging threats.
Air Commodore Mamphey advised the graduands to always put the interest of the nation first in whatever decisions or actions they took, saying “it is only when we think about our country individually that the national interest can be attained collectively”.
The Assistant Commander of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Commodore Jimmy Osei Kuntoh, explained that due to the increasing number of officers, who were overdue for JSC training and also to respond to the increasing demand for vacancies by sister countries in the West African sub-region, the number of participants in the JSC had been increased from 30 to 40 and was now 50.
The frequency of the course, he said, had also been increased from one to two in a year, adding that the graduating group was unique because it had the largest number of females;13 out of 50 students.
Major Daniel A. Bonah won the overall Best Student Award, while Major Lawrenda X. Adusu-Donkor and Flight Lieutenant Justice Akuamoah-Boateng won the Commandant and the Assistant Commandant’s Essay Prize respectively.