New UN policy won't hamper Ghana's peacekeeping operations —Col. Aryeetey

The new policy by the United Nations (UN) that requires countries contributing troops to UN Peacekeeping missions to pre-finance their operations will not hamper the Ghana Armed Forces’ peacekeeping effort, a senior military officer has told Myjoyonline.com

The Director of Studies at the Ghana Armed Forces Staff and Command College, Col. Irvine Nii Ayitey Aryeetey, has explained that the policy is beneficial to countries participating in UN Peacekeeping operations.

With the system we are operating now, “the UN will show you what items to bring into the operational area. You get those items and they reimburse you. We [Ghana] were one of those who first started this system,” he said.

According to Col. Aryeetey, Ghana was already using the system in its peacekeeping missions, except in Lebanon, where the system is still being changed.

In the past, the United Nations provided all equipment and logistics needed for peacekeeping operations and participating nations only had to send only personnel.

“One good thing is that when we use that equipment and the mission closes down, we bring them back home to use,” Col. Aryeetey said of the new arrangement. “Now we are in Mali. We are using our own equipment. Once that operation is over, we shall bring the equipment back home,” he said.

He said parliament and the government of Ghana understood the new system and were cooperating very well. He said the new system would not in any way hamper Ghana’s peacekeeping operations.

The Peace Operation Module, he explained, “is part of the curriculum of the senior division course of the Ghana Armed Forces Staff and Command College. It is a three-week course, which is supposed to train middle level officers, their counterparts in the other security services and other affiliate institutions in the preparation, planning, and management of peace operations at the operational level.”

Participants of the module this year are made up of 65 students of the college, from 11 African countries who are on one year course; 26 participants from outside, 50 weekend master’s students who are doing peace operations as their elective subject.

A section of participants
He said the 26 participants from outside are made up of personnel from the police, prisons, the Ministries of Defence and Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the media and UN agencies.

The Deputy Minister for Defence, Mr. Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, urged participants to take the course seriously.

“I am duly informed that the Peace Operation module will culminate with an ECOWAS Combined Joint African Exercise (CJAX) from 6-10 June, 2016, the aim of which is to train you the participants to acquire practical skills needed in a joint, multinational and interagency environment in order to develop a better understanding of the challenges involved in planning peace support operations,” he said.

The Commandant of the College, Air Vice Marshall Issifu Sakib Kadri, used the occasion to show appreciation to CDH Financial Holdings for its support to the support it has given to the college, especially in the area of ICT.

The Group Chief Executive of CDH Financial Holdings, Kwadwo Adu-Sarkodie, CDH had over the years committed itself to supporting the college because it values the contribution of the college and the armed forces in the promotion of peace in the country and beyond.

“As a business, we know the value of peace. Without peace, we cannot do business,” he said. He said his board and management were happy with the fact whatever they gave to the college was put into good use.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com