Prioritise welfare of soldiers - Major-General Thomas Oppong-Peprah

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major-General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, has urged senior officers, particularly heads of units in the Army to prioritise the welfare of subordinate soldiers.

“I am placing a charge to my successors to continue the concept… We have to always seek the welfare of our officers and soldiers. That is our duty,” he said.

He was speaking at the commissioning of a newly built officers transit accommodation on Wednesday, at the Arakan barracks in Burma Camp, Accra.

The 20-unit facility, named after the COAS, is part of his vision of easing transit accommodation challenges bedeviling uniformed personnel, who were involved in Peace Support Operations abroad.

The modern one-storey edifice has 20 bedrooms with 40 modern beds, a fully-fledged restaurant, ultra-modern washrooms, and parade grounds aimed at making officers scheduled for peacekeeping duties comfortable.

Maj. Gen. Oppong-Peprah said the transit accommodation would soon be expanded to include essential facilities and turned into a fully-fledged village dedicated to preparing soldiers for peace support operations.

“The plan is to also construct garages beyond this building where we can keep all our United Nations (UN) equipment and stores so, that everything that is meant for the UN Peace Support Operations can be kept here,” he said.

Brigadier-General Kenneth Kwaku Kwaah Kumi, the Deputy Chief Staff Officer, Logistics, highlighted how the new facility would enhance the well-being of men and women in the Military whose peacekeeping exploits had helped to place the country on the global map of nations actively engaged in peace support operations.

The facility is an addition to the 320-bed BK Akafia transit lodge, which was commissioned on 1st July 2021 and served as a transit facility for outstation personnel during rotations for peace Support Operations and other essential duties.