Security Sector Management Course opens in Accra

Accra, July 14, GNA - The first Ghana Security Sector Governance and Management Course for selected Senior Officers of the Security Services and Senior Civil Servants from strategic Ministries and agencies is scheduled for Monday July 19.

The Course to be held at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College at Teshie, Accra, would end on Thursday August 5. A statement issued by the Information Services Department in Accra on Wednesday and signed by Mr D.A. Kwapong, Acting Director, said about 35 officers would attend the maiden course.

They are drawn from the Office of the President; National Security Council; Office of the Head of the Civil Service; Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior and the Ministry of Defence; Ministry of The Interior; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Information. The rest are from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF); Ghana Police Service; Ghana Immigration Service and five participants from selected Civil Society Organisations.

The statement said the Course was a collaborative effort between the Government of Ghana and the United Kingdom (UK) and would be conducted by the Cranfield University of the UK in partnership with the University of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), African Security Dialogue and Research (ASDR) and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD).

It said the Course to be conducted annually with participation extended to sister African Countries in future, was not a military course and the use of the facilities of the GAF was for convenience.

The statement said the Course was being organised to address the need for effective planning, co-ordination and management of the Ghanaian Security Sector within a national, regional and international context. It said the participants were, therefore, expected to collectively discuss issues and suggest appropriate structures and reforms to enhance the performance of the Security Sector generally.

The statement said the Course was non-partisan, non-military but a highly academic course with emphasis on utilizing the practical experiences of the Senior Officers assembled to find a more pragmatic way forward for the management of the Security Sector.

It said it was also expected that during the Course, a member of the prestigious Madrid Club, an organisation of former Heads of State; Defence Ministers and other highly placed experts of democratic states would address the participants.