President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday, inaugurated a 300- bed capacity block at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra for young soldiers of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The facility, funded by the Jospong Group of Companies, would address the accommodation needs of the GAF and help its personnel undertake their duties effectively.
The 300-bed accommodation project was started in 2016 through the internally generated fund of the 37 Military hospital command, but stalled in 2018 due to lack of support until Jospong financed the project in 2021.
The President also inaugurated a three- storey office complex for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) at the Burma Camp in Accra to accommodate the CDS, his deputy and other staff.
Completed in November, last year, through a public private partnership, the facility has 50 office spaces, conference and meeting rooms and is equipped with an information and video conferencing system.
The inauguration of the facilities heralded the 2022 end of year party for the GAF which brought together the rank and file of the GAF, representatives of sister security agencies and government officials.
Earlier, President Akufo-Addo also cut the sod for the construction of 2, 000 housing units for three garrisons in Accra, Tema and Sekondi-Takoradi to be completed within 24 months; a 95 room general office headquarters administration block and fence wall project.
He also inspected work on the Cardiothoracic Centre Project at the 37 Military Hospital being constructed by the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Ken Agyapong and also handed over vehicles to the GAF.
Speaking at the inauguration of the CDS, President Akufo-Addo described the facility as a befitting structure for the GAF given the important role it played in the country’s security.
He said the new projects and the completed ones were testament of the government’s commitment to retooling the GAF and the security services to enable them execute their duties effectively.
He said the government would continue to provide the logistical needs of the GAF in fulfilment of its dedication.
President Akufo-Addo commended the sector minister, the former and current CDS for their cooperation and hard work that resulted in the completion of the project.
At the inauguration of the housing facility, he conveyed the government’s appreciation to the Jospong Group of Companies and Mr Agyapong for their benevolence.
Giving the background to the CDS project, the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul said the project was conceived in 2016 but upgraded to make room for an additional floor to accommodate more offices.
He said the site used to host a building that served as the Defence ministry and later the CDS office until it lost its structural integrity and subsequently pulled down in 2020 to make way for the new CDS office complex.
For his part, the CDS, Vice Admiral Seth Amoamah, thanked the government, his predecessor, and the project partners, GoldKey Properties Limited for their joint efforts on the project
BY JONATHAN DONKOR & ABIGAIL ARTHUR
