Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has become the first female Chairperson of the Ghana Armed Forces Council.

The Council as stipulated in the 1992 Constitution is chaired by the Vice President and will advise the President on matters of policy relating to defence and strategy including the role of the Armed Forces, military budgeting and finance, administration and the promotion of officers above the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel or its equivalent.

The inaugural ceremony of the Council was conducted on Monday by President John Dramani Mahama at the Ministry of Defence in Accra.

Other Members of the Council include Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Defence Minister, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Foreign Minister and Alhaji Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, Minister for the Interior.

The rest are Mr Daniel Addo, Mr Fuseini Iddrisu and Madam Nancy Dankwa Ampofo.

Vice President Opoku-Agyemang in her acceptance speech expressed gratitude to President Mahama for the honour done to them and assured the President that as Members of Council they would rise to the responsibility and ensure that his confidence was not misplaced.

“I think this is very important. As a Council we accept to serve diligently, loyally, with patriotic zeal to reset the Ghana and reset the Ghana Armed Forces to ensure that we have peace, we have stability for our beloved nation,” Vice President Prof Opoku-Agyemang said.

She reiterated that the Council would ensure the Ghana Armed Forces retained, sustained and even extended this reputation established globally.

“We are very proud of our Armed Forces, and we know that they have even further to go,” she said

“Congratulations and this are also the time to remember those who’ve come before us and all the roles they have played, and our pledge is to ensure that we strengthen and even add on to what they have established which is very admirable and which we celebrate.”

The Vice President said the Council, which was an advisory one was very separate from management, which they need to take note of, so that they don’t mix their roles.

She said therefore they would ensure that they gave sound advice on matters of policy; those that relate to defence, to strategy including military budgeting and finance, administration and promotion of officers above the rank of lieutenant-colonel or its equivalent.

She noted that they were aware that the country was facing some challenges in terms of security, its borders, even internal challenges and, therefore, they need to pay attention to all these even as they pay attention to their bilateral and multilateral relations in relation to security, which were all very important.

“There are times when we can’t go alone. We must follow an ECOWAS, we must call on the AU and we must negotiate well to ensure that our people, the men and the women, return peacefully, return with all the knowledge that they have acquired in the process,” she said.

She said Ghana was saddled with challenges such as illegal mining, illegal logging, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing piracies, threats of violent extremism and terrorism and chieftaincy disputes and reminded them that as a Council, there was a lot of work ahead.

“As a council we pledge to play a role, and we want to invite everybody to come along.

Security, as they say, is everybody’s business. “We also know that we are facing an economic crisis, that’s what it is, and this has saddled the Ministry of Defence with a debt of GH¢3.7 billion, including a GH¢275 million indebtedness to food suppliers. We need to improve infrastructure, including housing, we have a huge deficit,” she said.

Vice President Prof Opoku-Agyemang said there was so much capability of the nation’s military forces, and that they were aware of the roles they could play towards advancing the nation’s 24-hour economy.

“The military doesn’t lack talent or skill in any of our disciplines, so we call on you to support us.”

On industrialization, the Vice President said the Defence Industrial Holding Company (DIHOC) of the military required private sector participation for food production and for infrastructural development, noting that it would not be too much to expect that in the manufacturing sector, even vehicle assembling, the pharmaceutical production, whatever, Ghanaians see in the Ghana Armed Forces participating and participating effectively in all these areas.

“So, we invite all of us, especially our Armed Forces, to champion the 24-hour economy through what they also do,” she said.

She assured the President that the Ghana Armed Forces would continue to use the humane methods, the methods that were effective in the air, including modern technology in whatever form, to enhance the operational efficiency of the forces.

She assured President Mahama that the Council would carry the mandate he had imposed on them and that they would continue to dialogue with the President whenever necessary.

The Vice President also joined President Mahama to commend the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs for their dedicated service to the nation.

“We want to commend them highly for what they have done for this country, and we know that sometimes when you leave, your knowledge, your examples don’t leave”.

The outgoing Military High Command include General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, the Chief of Defence Staff,

Lieutenant General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona, Chief of Army Staff, Vice Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, Chief of the Naval Staff, and Air Marshal Frederick Asare Bekoe, Chief of Air Staff.