Ghana Navy’s Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Kofi Amponsah Duodu has been awarded two (2) prestigious awards – the Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Joseph C Strasser Junior International Leadership Prize and the Lieutenant Michael P Murphy Counterterrorism Prize, at the United States of America (USA) Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, where he pursued a one-year graduate-level Naval Staff Course.

Lt Cdr Duodu served as the president of the Naval Staff College Class of 2023, which had students from 49 countries worldwide, and he was the only African student in the entire Naval War College, both Senior, Naval Command College, and Intermediate, Naval Staff College classes to be awarded. Although Cdr Duodu graduated on Friday 16 June at a ceremony chaired by the US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, his awards were presented on Thursday 15 June by Rear Admiral SS Chatfield during a special ceremony.

A citation on one of his awards read: United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, The President, US Naval War College takes great pleasure in presenting the Rear Admiral Joseph C Strasser, International Leadership Prize (NSC) to Kofi Amponsah Duodu, in recognition of his exemplary contributions to the Naval Staff College in advancing Admiral Arleigh Burke’s vision of international programs, as a place for naval officers from around the world to foster, trust, confidence, friendship, and international cooperation.

The other read: The President, US Naval War College, takes great pleasure in presenting this certificate to Kofi Duodu in recognition that the paper entitled, “Securing West Africa: The Case for a Single Multinational Joint Task Force to Curb Terrorism and Piracy™” was awarded First Place Lieutenant Michael P Murphy Counterterrorism Prize, International Student Category. Generally, the 2023 NWC graduates included 468 students from senior level leadership and intermediate level courses including 103 international students representing 78 countries, with 1,925 students having completed coursework through the NWC’s College of Distance Education Programs, 121 of whom attended the graduation in person.9 out of the 60 students (including Lt Cdr Duodu) in the international class were awarded scholarships to pursue a Master of Arts Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies.