Military pledges to strengthen relations with civilian populace

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Michael Sampson Oje, has given the assurance that the Ghana Air Force will continue to strengthen its relations with the civilian population, to promote peace and harmony in the country.

He said the military was mandated to provide external and internal security for the country, and would, therefore, work assiduously to meet the expectations of all Ghanaians.

He commended the business community for supporting the Air Force to improve its infrastructure, and said the Air Force was prepared to collaborate with foreign business entities, to promote technology transfer.

Air Vice Marshal Oje, made these remarks at this year's West African Soldiers Social Activity (WASSA) at the Air Force Base in Takoradi, to take stock of the year under review and to show appreciation to the men in uniform for their dedication and commitment towards protecting the country from external aggression.

Responding to recent accusation by a pressure group in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, over attempt by the Ghana Air Force to stop the construction of a shopping mall, he said the Air Force has no problem with the proposed construction of the mall near the Takoradi Air Force Base, but indicated that due to the increased air traffic to the Takoradi Airport, as a result of the oil exploration on the Jubilee Oilfield, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) decided to halt construction of the proposed mall, since it could pose air traffic danger to the various air craft’s that would ply that route.

He said interested parties should contact the GCAA for explanation, instead of lambasting the Ghana Air Force in the Media for sabotaging the project.

Early this year, more than 3,000 mechanics operating at the proposed site for the shopping mall were ejected forcefully by the city authorities and some security task force.

For over eight months, the 53-acre land has been lying fallow, after their ejection, thus putting a lot of pressure on the city authorities for undertaking that exercise.

A pressure group within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis recently organized a press conference to accuse the Ghana Air Force of sabotaging the efforts of Western Consortium, the contractors for the project.