Junior Staff Course 74 graduands urged to help manage post-election issues

Graduands of the Junior Staff Course 74 of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College have been advised to use the knowledge acquired to manage post-election violence.

They have also been charged to support civil authority in the maintenance of peace and stability to enhance development, as part of their contribution to the defence of the Constitution.

Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei (Rtd), Former Chief of Army Staff, gave the advice at the graduation ceremony of 60 officers in Accra on Friday, drawn from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Gambia, Liberia and Guinea, after going through four and half months of training on security issues.

The training was designed to broaden their professional and general perspectives on matters of national and international issues to make them better, competent and efficient.

Major General Opoku-Adusei called for a multifaceted approach in dealing with emerging threats posed by transnational crimes such as drug trafficking, child abuse, data fraud, money laundering, cybercrime and terrorism on the continent.

He commended the management of the College for running the course successfully in spite of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called for collaborative efforts of the ministries, metropolitan and district authorities, intelligence and security agencies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to fight the challenges of the pandemic, which had affected the global economy.

He said even though participants could not embark on the Environmental Studies tour to the Eastern Region, due to the pandemic, the College’s online studies enabled the officers to conduct research and came out with credible papers.

Major General Opoku-Adusei was confident that their findings would further highlight most of the pressing issues and assist the Government in its developmental programmes.

He urged the participants to be ambassadors of change and use the skills acquired to assist in the formulation of policies to make a positive impact on the continent’s developmental agenda.

Brigadier-General A. K. Dawohoso, the Assistant Commandant, Junior Division of the College, was optimistic that the officers had been empowered and better positioned to appreciate and effectively manage multi-dimensional challenges faced in their various fields of endeavour.

Captain C. Asamoah emerged the Overall Best Student, Captain J.L. Tawiah came second, while Lieutenant General P.S. Okyere came third.