Cote d'Ivoire Honours Lt. Gen. Obeng

Cote d'Ivoire has conferred a State Honour on Ghana's Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. S.K Obeng. At a ceremony held as part of activities marking the 42 Independence Anniversary celebrations of the country, the Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire, Mr. Affi Nguessan decorated General Obeng with the Officer of the National Order of La Cote d'Ivoire medal. He was honoured along with military Chiefs of Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau and Mali.

The independence anniversary coincided with the 5th annual conference of the ECOWAS Defence and Security Commission, held in Abidjan from 5th to 8th August.

In his remarks, Mr. Nguessan praised Gen. Obeng and his counterparts for "their contribution to the search for stability and security in the West African Sub-region."

At the same ceremony, Col. C.H Mankattah, the Acting Commander of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) was awarded the Officer of Merit of La Cote d'Ivoire medal, in recognition of the KAIPTC's status as a centre of excellence for training and research in Peacekeeping and other Peace Support Operations. In line with ECOWAS protocol, the centre which is co-located within the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) at Teshie is to cater for operational level training for officers of ECOWAS member countries while the Peacekeeping Training Centre at Zambokro in Cote d'Ivoire concentrates on tactical level training. The National War College at Abuja, Nigeria is to provide strategic level education and training.

Lt. Gen. Obeng and other members of his entourage have since returned home.