Ghana Engineer Company 10 (GHANENGCOY 10) under the leadership of Lt Col E.K. Poku, on 21 February 2022 took over command from Lt Col E.K. Appiah, the Officer Commanding (OC) GHANENGCOY 9, serving with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

This ensued at a brief ceremony at the Sappers Camp located in the Integrated Supper Camp in Timbuktu.

The Command baton which signifies authority as well as continuity was handed over to Lt Col Edward Poku by the outgoing OC Lt Col Emmanuel Kojo Appiah, Both signed the handing and taking over certificates in the presence of Sector West Commander, Brig Gen Abdel Fatah Wael, who was the Guest of honor.

The symbolic ceremony between the outgoing Company 9 and the incoming Company 10 was met with mixed feelings. Outgoing Company 9 personnel were happy for a successful tour of duty for the past 12 months and finally going home, while their counterparts in Company 10, were anxious about the fog of war that stared at them in the face in the coming 12 months.

Brig Gen Abdel Fatah Wael in his remarks was full of praise for the Ghana Engineer Company's performance within the Sector West over the years.

He elaborated on the dedication to duty, positive attitude, and professionalism of Ghanaian troops. 

Brig Gen Fatah was also full of admiration for the high level of discipline of the Ghanaian Contingent over the years and complimented the Coy for being able to combine engineer operations with both ceremonial and other non-engineer duties. 

He also used the occasion to thank the outgoing Commander, Lt Col E.K. Appiah, and his team for the sacrifice and a job well done and also wished them a happy reunion with their families and friends back home. The Sector West Commander also used the occasion to officially welcome Lt Col EK Poku and his team to the mission area.

Prior to GHANENGCOY 10 deployment in Mali, the Company underwent rigorous 8-week pre-deployment activities which included engineer skills training, pre-deployment concentration training, and additional training with the US SFAB Engineer Team, all under the supervision of the Army Peace Operations Training School (APOTS).

The Unit was quarantined for two weeks in Accra and another two weeks in Timbuktu, Mali, per UN DPKO measures.

GHANENGCOY 10, with the motto, “Ensemble Nous Batissons”, French for “Together We Build” , will operate in Timbuktu and other parts of Northern Mali for a total of 12 months. It will be engaged in the maintenance and repair of runways, preparation of the base defense, and force protection measures.

The Company is also charged with the construction of physical protection measures for the UN with increased capabilities in self defense including mine sweeping and detection among others.