Government is committed to improving the operational flexibility and readiness of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to enable it to effectively combat terrorism and violent extremism, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.

To that end, a number of interventions had been initiated by Government, including the procurement of operational vehicles of various categories, and military platforms and hardware had been presented to the military high command to address the shortfalls in the logistical state of the GAF.

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Friday after reviewing a graduation parade of the Ghana Military Academy (GMA), Teshie, near Accra, where he commissioned 132 cadets into the officers' Corps of the GAF.

The parade featured cadets from the Regular Career Course 59 and Short Service Commission/Special Duty Course 57, which saw 103 out of the 132 officers graduating as regular career officers, while the remaining 29 passed out as short service commissioned officers.

President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that government would not relent in its efforts to transform the GAF into a formidable body.

He said steps were being taken to address the accommodation challenges that had been with the Ghana Armed Forces over the years.

“Through the policy of Barracks Regeneration, the sod was cut for a $100 million military housing project, which includes the reconstruction of the Ghana Military Academy. The project involves the construction of 192 two-bedroom flats, 640-unit two-bedroom half-compound houses, and a 240-unit self-contained military hostel,” he added.

The President further reiterated the commitment of Government to transform the Ghana Military Academy into a world-class institution, as it represented the spiritual foundation of the Officer Corps of the GAF.

He said the Barracks Regeneration Project of the GAF will see the construction at the Military Academy, a new administration office block with 48 offices and conference rooms, a two-storey 240-capacity classroom block, and an auditorium with a 640-seating capacity.

Additionally, there will be accommodation for platoon commanders, and a fence wall around the entire Academy.

"We will continue to help enhance the capabilities of the armed forces in the development of our nation," he assured.

To the newly commissioned officers, President Akufo-Addo encouraged them to discharge their duties professionally and diligently, fearlessly and efficiently, and act to promote national integration and cohesion.

He urged them to remember that Ghana occupied a respectable and envious position on the world stage.

“We are regarded as a beacon of peace and stability on the continent, and as an established, functioning democracy, and we have pride of place in the area of Peacekeeping.

“You are, thus, to guard yourselves against acts that are likely to bring the name of our beloved country and the image of the Ghana Armed Forces into disrepute. Your actions should be to enhance, or, at the very least, maintain the standards set by predecessor generations of officers of the Armed Forces,” he admonished.

The President told the cadets that their new status as “fully-fledged, professional military officers”, meant that the GAF and the people of Ghana would demand a lot from them.

He reminded them that they were joining a profession whose members had not only upheld its image, but had continued to ensure that the territorial integrity of Ghana was preserved to reinforce the nation's independence and sovereignty.

"In order to execute your onerous obligations, the motto of the Academy, ‘Service, Devotion and Sacrifice’, must always be your guiding principle”, he told them.

In attendance were Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence and Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa, Chief of Defence Staff of the GAF, as well as service, formation and unit commanders.