The Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs, Mr. Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani, has commended the Ghana Armed Forces Command, and Staff College, for utilizing wholly Ghanaian lecturers and resource persons for the school's Security Sector Governance and Management course.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the fifth Ghana Security Sector Governance and Management course, in Accra last Tuesday, Mr. Yaw Barimah, Minister of State at the Office of the President, who read the address on behalf of the Chief of Staff, paid tribute to the Staff College for quitting the use of lecturers from the Cranfield University in the United Kingdom (UK).

Lecturers from Cranfield University were noted to have supported the Staff College, when it organized the Security Sector Governance and Management course on four occasions.

According to the Chief of Staff, there was the urgent need for reforms to be introduced to the security sector, in order for people to appreciate their roles of ensuring national and international security.

Mr. Mpiani pointed out that Ghanaians should appropriately equip, prepare and support the security services, so as to meet current and future, as well as local and international threats to the country's security.

It was in this regard that the Chief of Staff saw the grave intensity for the demand for security management, due to factors such as rapid technological transformation, demographic changes, the increasing expectations of people, and the sophistication of crime.

“This is weighed against such hampering factors, as inadequate resources, inappropriate institutional designs, peculiar organizational cultures, and inertia, amongst others,” the Minister pointed out.

He further asserted that the course studied, was aimed to stimulate discussion at the work places of the participants, while arousing their interest to read around the subject, to gain more knowledge and participate in public discussions, as well as activities that relate to security in general.

The Minister entreated the course participants, to be ambassadors in this regard, and should, as part of their assignment, spread the word.

The three weeks course was made up of 23 participating agencies, which included the Ministries of Defence, Interior, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Women and Children's Affairs.

As part of the curriculum of the course, he suggested the need for topical security-related issues to be selected and studied, as well as present a paper to Government, by making appropriate recommendations on how to solve identified problems.

It was in this regard that the Minister emphasised that this would not only ensure good governance and management, but also increase their knowledge in the chosen fields, which they could share with others. Source: Naa Betty Nelson & Bermice Bessey - Ghanaian Chronicle