Ghana’s Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged the men and women of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to continue to abide by the oaths they have sworn – to protect the peace and security the country enjoys.

Dr Bawumia said this on Friday, 17 May 2019 as the Reviewing Officer at the Graduation Parade of the Special Medical Intake 5 of the Ghana Armed Forces at the Ghana Military Academy, Teshie, Accra.

Dr Bawumia said the government, on its part, will continue to provide the logistics necessary for GAF to give off their best to the nation, especially in the face of emerging threats to the nation’s security.

He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's government has pledged that the Ghana Military Academy will be transformed into a world-class institution.

“This will ensure greater effectiveness and efficiency in the overall training and activities of instructors and cadets alike. It will also propel the cutting-edge sterling training delivered by the Academy to assume its proper place as one of the best military academies on the African continent,” Dr Bawumia stated.

Graduating Statistics

In all, 116 officers were commissioned into the Ghana Armed Forces. Sixty-five officers constituted the graduating cadet of Special Medical Intake 5 from the Army, 20 graduating cadet of Special Medical Intake 5 from the Navy, and 31 graduating cadets of Special Medical Intake 5 from the Air Force.

Awards

The all-round best officer cadet award known as the "Chief of Defence Staff Award" of the Special Medical Intake 5 went to Junior Under Officer Jerry Agustino Ackuaku. The "Commandant's Prize", the second-best officer cadet of the Special Medical Intake 5 went to Cadet Sergeant Emmanuel Osafo and the best female award of the Special Medical Intake 5 went to Cadet Corporal Araba Abakah Fordjour.

The Ghana Military Academy

Ghana Military Academy (GMA) was established on 1 April 1960 after years of reliance on foreign military academies to commission potential Ghanaian officers for the Ghana Armed Forces.

The Academy grew out of the Regular Officers Special Training Schools (ROSTS) which was established at MATS, Teshie, in 1953. This School provided 6 months’ preparatory training for selected cadets from the British West African colonies, namely: Nigeria, The Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and The Gambia, prior to their being sent to the UK or other overseas countries for further officer training and Commissioning.

Since its establishment, the Academy has produced over 3,500 Ghanaian officers. Some have retired while the rest are now serving in various capacities in the Armed Forces and in the country as a whole. The Academy has also trained cadets from some sister African countries, notably Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Benin, The Gambia, Togo and Guinea. The first commissioning ceremony was held on 30 September 1961 for 35 officer cadets.

Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/91.3FM