The Commanding Officer of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Col Daniel Atobrah Bondah say the of focus of the Ghana Armed Forces on national defense must go beyond the military assets to include the roles sociocultural, economic and political factors play in the safety of the state.

The core mandate in the defense of Ghana demands that security officers equip themselves with knowledge that meets contemporary security issues.

The commanding officer said “Whilst we serve the states and humanity, our core mandate in the defense of Ghana demands that we equip ourselves with knowledge that meets contemporary security issues’’.

He added that “Considering our operational activities in the Western and Western North regions, we find ourselves in a very special environment. We must therefore ensure that we are equipped with appreciable knowledge keep the peace in our area for development purpose, the two regions contribute almost 60% of the country's gross domestic product”.

Col. Bondah said this when he was speaking at the opening ceremony of the certificate program in Industrial Safety, Security and Project Management by the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) at the 2nd Infantry Battalion(2BN)-Myohaung Barracks, Takoradi. The training programme which is the first of its kind, brings together over 80 personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force of the Ghana Armed Forces.

The objective of the two-week training is to expose participants to innovative safety practices, demonstrate fundamental skills in project management and equip them with emerging trends in security.

It aims to provide an array of benefits including leadership development, practical knowledge, safety practices, cyber security, artificial intelligence, project management skills, transferrable skills, team building and cognitive abilities.

Upon completion, participants are expected to demonstrate fundamental skills in project management, analyse security issues and adopt best practices in safety management.

The objectives of the programme are to expose participants to innovative safety practices, demonstrate fundamental skills in project management and equip them with emerging trends in security. Upon completion, participants are expected to demonstrate fundamental skills in project management, analyse security issues and adopt best practices in safety management.

First Cohort of the training started on Monday August 12, and will end on Friday August 19, 2024, while the second cohort will start from Monday August 19 to Friday August 24, 2024.

On behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Anthony Simons congratulated the participants for being the first batch of security personnel to benefit from the program.

He said” This program with the Ghana Armed Forces therefore remains the first of its kind in the University, which we believe will be a precursor to increased collaboration between the academia and security agencies in the area of research and professional development”.

“I must commend the tremendous response by personnel of Ghana Armed Forces in this program. Indeed, we have received calls not only from military personnel all over the country, but other security agencies and I must say that as a university, our doors are always open for such meaningful interactions”, he added. Prof Michael Affam expressed the hope that the program will provide participants with useful skills beyond their retirement from military service.

Touching on the program, Mr Adu-Gyamfi Daniel, the Course Coordinator indicated that the program consists of three (3) modules namely; Industrial Safety, Security and Project Management.