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The government has increased the allowance for Ghanaian troops on United Nations Peacekeeping operations by $1 a day.
 
President John Dramani Mahama, who announced this during an interaction with officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) at Burma Camp in Accra yesterday, expressed the hope that the increase would motivate Ghanaian troops to continue to excel in international peacekeeping operations.  

Ghanaian troops on peacekeeping receive $30 a day. This means they will now take $31 a day.

President Mahama, who was dressed in military camouflage, spent a good part of his working time yesterday at Burma Camp where he also inaugurated a new headquarters complex for the Ghana Navy.

The Burma Hall, where the durbar of officers and men was held, was filled to capacity.

Both soldiers and the civilian staff of the GAF were given the opportunity to ask the President questions, all of which he took his time to explain.

Most of the questions bordered on pensions, rations, accommodation, health and training.

President Mahama expressed appreciation to Ghanaian troops for continuing to keep the flag of the nation high in international peacekeeping.

He assured them of the prompt payment of their allowances.

Touching on rations for troops, the President said it was one area that was receiving further attention.

Making reference to what Napoleon once said that “An army marches on its stomach,” President Mahama said efforts were being made to promptly pay contractors who supplied troops rations to avoid cuts in supply.

High morale

President Mahama, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the GAF, described the state of the Armed Forces as good, and added that morale within the forces was high.

Emphasising professionalism as key to the operations of the GAF, the President said: “We have worked very hard to sustain the level of professionalism in the forces.”

He said over the years, Ghanaian troops on international peacekeeping had made the nation and themselves proud with extraordinary output.

Internally, he said the GAF had played a key role in maintaining peace.

Retooling 

President Mahama said his desire to see to the retooling of the GAF began when he was the Vice-President.

He indicated that when he became the Chairman of the Armed Forces Council in 2009, he was charged by the then President, Prof J.E.A. Mills, to make sure that the troops were equipped to undertake their duties.

Before that period, he said some of the highly trained pilots of the Ghana Air Force had left to join private airlines because the Air Force lacked adequate facilities.

Since 2009, the President said, the government had acquired three CASA aircraft and four MH helicopters for the Ghana Air Force.

The Ghana Navy had also taken delivery of six new vessels.

“Generally, the state of equipment of all the forces is better than we met it,” he stated.

Encroachment 

President Mahama took serious notice of encroachment on military lands and said measures were being taken to check the negative practice.

Consequently, he said a public-private partnership arrangement was being implemented to construct walls around all military lands in the country, with the one at Burma Camp already started.

He expressed the hope that the second military hospital under construction in the Ashanti Region would be ready by June next year.

In answer to complaints about inadequate pensions paid to retiring junior ranks, the President said that must be addressed by the Armed Forces Council.

Chief of Defence Staff

The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Marshall Michael Sampson-Oje, described the President’s support to the Ghana Armed Forces as impressive.

“All new projects you see around here are to his credit,” he said.