The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) has commenced its 2023 Defence Management Course with a primary objective to enable civil servants, military officers, other security services and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to appreciate each other’s complementary roles within the security and defence environment.
Delivering an opening address at the Hamidu Hall at the Military College on Monday 26 June 2023, the Commandant, GAFCSC – Major General (Maj Gen) Irvine Ayittey Aryeetey, said security and defence matters now demand comprehensive and multidimensional approaches, and that the nature of the threats faced makes it difficult to delineate political or operational boundaries or to draw battle lines, with actors involved operating across international and interagency jurisdictions.
He continued that the importance of understanding the roles the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and CSOs play in the defence of Ghana, the security of the West Africa sub-region, and that of Africa as a whole, must continue to occupy attention.
He said the purpose for the course is to enhance leadership at all levels within the defence space, and to bring to the fore the undeniable fact that leadership and Inter-Agency collaboration are crucial in Defence Management.Maj Gen Aryeetey continued that the effective and efficient management of defence hinges on the collaboration of various agencies from both the public and private sector, making teamwork crucial for effective and efficient management of security and defence-related issues, in the context of national development.He told the participants; “I expect that your capacity to carry out various responsibilities following the rule of law, transparency and accountability to the governed will be enhanced. It is a fact that we have moved away from the days when defence and security issues were the preserve of the military, and to some extent, the police and a few other institutions. Today, such issues belong to the entire society.”
The Defence Management Course is a module under GAFCSC’s Master of Science Degree (MSc) in Defence and International Politics (MDIP) Course 44, with 85 Regular Students of Senior Military Officers from Benin, Botswana, la Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Togo, and additional 9 weekend students.
