The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei, has inaugurated three accommodation blocks and a demonstration facility at the Army Recruit Training School (ARTS) at Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region.
The facilities include a new demonstration block, a six-bedroom self-contained, and a four-bedroom self-contained flat, all started and completed within two years. The Demonstration Block would serve as a showroom for recruit training, whereas the four and six bedroom accommodation would also serve as a place of abode for the instructors of the training school.
The projects were funded by the Army Headquarters, Bank of Africa, Enterprise Life and Star Life Assurance companies. In his inaugural remarks, Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei said the training school needed basic facilities such as accommodation, demonstration block, ablution units, and other logistics to enhance effective training.
He commended the three companies whose financial support saw the construction and completion of the projects, for their immense contributions towards making the school a better place, and appealed for more support.
“We are happy that you have come to support us to lay a very good foundation for service training. We are grateful to you for your mighty support, like Oliver Twist, the school may still look up to you for more. We would play our part in channeling any resources we get from government to support this school.”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Commanding Officer of the Army Recruit Training School, Lieutenant Colonel Augustine Asiedu, said the need to develop the school’s infrastructural base was key to achieving its mandate.
It was in that regard that the existing buildings, which were dilapidated, deplorable and had developed deep cracks, were pulled down for the construction of new ones. Lt Col A. Asiedu pledged his commitment to ensuring the school saw a massive facelift in its road networks.
An executive of Star Life Assurance Company Limited in charge of Group Business and Market Intelligence, Mr. Iddrisu Nashiru, said protecting the territorial integrity of the nation, which was key to development, was one of the biggest motivations which drove the company to support the upgrade of infrastructure at ARTS.
Additionally, he noted, once military personnel were given a sound place to lay their heads, they would be able to protect the nation’s domains better. He called on other corporate institutions and individuals to support noble causes such as developing infrastructure for the security services, in order to build the nation.
Present at the function were the Commander, Army Training Command, Brigadier General Augustine Komla Boimah, Director, Army Finance, Colonel Mohammed Tahiru, Director, Army Training, Colonel Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Director, Army Logistics, Colonel Emmanuel Tweneboah Darquah, other officers, men and women of ARTS, and some civilian employees.