Accra, Jan. 18, GNA - The human resource base of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is being developed through programmed activities to enhance the efficiency and combat readiness of active personnel of the institution.

These programmes and activities include on-the-job training for its personnel at various local and foreign institutions, as well as in some civil tertiary institutions in the country, Defence Minister Kwame Addo-Kufuor said when he took his turn at the first in a series of Meet-the-Press for this year in Accra on Wednesday. He said the training programme would provide an expository on the workings, developments, and the challenges facing various state institutions and the way forward.

The Minister said as part of the reformation, joint military training exercises with troops from countries such as the United States, Britain, France and other African countries, were being pursued to enhance professionalism and improve on the GAF's capacity for peace building within the sub-region.

He said the introduction of the Masters' Degree programme at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College was a great leap in improving the academic background of officers and building the human resource capacity of the GAF.

The programme is to be extended to the Ghana Military Academy for cadets of the institution to undertake degree programmes. Furthermore, arrangements are being made to establish computer-learning centres within the military garrisons to train all ranks to become computer literate to improve on their efficiency to enhance their resettlement prospects.

Dr Addo-Kufuor said training at both local and foreign levels for all ranks, was being pursued in order to create the capacity and the ability of troops to carry out assigned roles, while courses aimed at giving personnel trade and qualifications usable in civil life are also being embarked upon to make them marketable after their service with the GAF.

To improve on the manpower level of the GAF, a total of 3.6 billion cedis was spent last year in the payment of gratuities of 400 over-aged soldiers released during the year, whilst five billion cedis was also spent last year to recruit 1,000 young men and women for training.

Addo-Kufuor asks for resources to deal with Fulani herdsmen

Accra, Jan. 18, GNA - Defence Minister Kwame Addo-Kufuor on Wednesday recommended that government should provide the security agencies with the necessary resources to deal decisively with the problems posed by Fulani herdsmen.

He said Ghana discharged all its obligations under the ECOWAS protocols and citizens of the regional grouping, whatever their nationality, should be made to respect the laws of Ghana. The Minster was speaking in Accra when he took his turn at the meet-the-press in Accra.

He said the first approach to solve the problem was for the security agencies to disarm all the herdsmen and ensure that their leaders cooperated with district assemblies in whichever area they found themselves. He added that the support of the district assemblies would be essential in such an exercise. Farmers have been complaining of the destruction to their crops by the Fulani herdsmen, some of who had been violent.