Former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, Brigadier (retired), has said Ghana does not need a war college at the moment.
In his view, instead of a war college, the government must build an Agricultural college to promote agriculture to feed the nation because Ghanaians are hungry.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced plans to establish a war college in the country at the Ghana Armed Forces’ 2022 end-of-year West African Soldiers Social Activities (WASSA) celebrations at Burma camp in Accra. It is to be established with a seed capital from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), and expected to be the capstone of Ghana’s military education system.
The War College is meant to provide and improve the professional education of the highest levels of military leadership when established.
This college if established, will educate and train senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders advanced tactical and strategic thought, doctrines and policies.
Yet still, Mr Nunoo-Mensah says the college is not necessary. “Akufo-Addo is my friend, I campaigned with him to be NPP flagbearer in 1998 but even if you are my friend I’ll tell you my piece of mind. What we need is not a war college but agricultural college to feed the people, the people are hungry,” the retired Brigadier said.
He spoke about the Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Training Center, and that it has the capacity to train the military in whatever capacity, hence, there is no need for a war college when there are pressing issues like hunger.
“We need an Agricultural College and the reason is that Ghanaians are very hungry, I am hungry; involve everybody in farming because food is very expensive.”
Joseph Nunoo-Mensah
Akufo-Addo Has No Hand In Unfixed Date
Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), defended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, contending that the president is not to blame for the party’s inability to set a date for its primaries.
According to him, such choices are made by the national executive committee of the party and not by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Nana B stated that, the national executive body must take into account all proposals before deciding on a date for the stated election because there has been a variety of views and perspectives expressed over the party’s election.
“I don’t have to buy them at all, I condemn such posts and views. Under no circumstance should anybody attribute this to his Excellency the President. It is very unfortunate and I condemn it as the national organizer.”
Henry Nana Boakye
The National Organizer of the NPP purported that these processes involved in selecting a date for the primaries election is democratic and gives room for everyone to share their opinions. Thus, it is extensively consultative, so it is very unfortunate for people to be making unfounded claims.
“It may be recalled that some party members including a political scientist Dr Amoako Baah accused President Akufo-Addo of personally hijacking the party’s bid to hold an early congress. According to them, the president is preventing a possible switch of attention from himself and his government to the new candidate to be elected as flagbearer and that he is doing everything possible to delay the elections.”
Henry Nana Boakye
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