The Growing Military Might of Ghana

                                   

Following the end of hostilities of the Second World War (WWII), statistics drawn various historical accounts pegged Gold Coast soldiers who fought in the war at approximately sixty-five thousand (65,000). These soldiers fought alongside other West African nationals who were drawn into the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF). The battles took the Gold Coast Regiment to participate in campaigns in East Africa, Burma and in maneuvers in the Gambia.

Fighting under the command of the British and her allies, they fought in the deserts of North Africa, the jungles of Burma and over the skies of Germany. 

John Keegan, the veteran war historian describes the Second World War as the largest single event in human history, fought  across six of the world's seven continents and all it oceans. It killed 50 million human beings; left hundreds of millions of others wounded in mind or body and materially devastated much of the heartland of civilization."

Ghanaians upon their return brought with them an unparalleled experience at the forefront of deadly battles and fierce combats that will enrich the Ghanaian military in later years.

Primal to the formation of the United Nations in 1945, it is to avert the eruption of another world war, to save the world of another destruction, avert the annihilation of flora and fauna, foster unity in diversity among the cultures of the world and ensure the enjoyment of the universal human rights of all citizens of the world.

The maintenance of peace in the world has been a preeminent agenda since the formation of the United Nations. Modest gains have been made the world over through its Peace and Security Council. The Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or an act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement.

Under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Security Council can take enforcement measures to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such measures range from economic sanctions to international military action. The Council also establishes UN Peacekeeping Operations and Special Political Missions.

The United Nations maintains international peace and security through preventive mediation and diplomacy, peacekeeping, peace-building and counter-terrorism and disarmament. Regional and sub regional bodies on the continent have  as a first point of call the duty to raise stand-by forces to contend with the myriad of insurgencies on the continent and the sub-region. The African Union and ECOWAS forces hold the forte on the continent whilst resources, clearance and augmentation of forces and is given from the United Nations.

Peacekeeping Records of Ghana

Ghana has vigorous and active armed forces. The army makes up 11,500, the Navy- 2,000, the Air Force – 2000. These figures give a combined force of 15,500 personnel. Ghana is ranked 101st in the world and a 15th in Africa. She operates with a defense budget of one-hundred and twenty million US dollars ($120,000,000) - a modest figure for the cocoa exporting nation.

After the attainment of republican status in 1960, Ghana’s contribution to the continent of Africa was not only political -in the case of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) or the eradication of colonialism, nor was it limited to the economic gains and the democratic strides we were making as a young democracy that has emerged out of colonialism, taking her chances to govern or to misgovern herself, as Dr. Kwame Nkrumah puts it.

Militarily, and as active member of the United Nations who is committed to maintaining peace on the continent in the wake of civil and tribal unrest, the government of Ghana enlisted to join UN peacekeeping missions. Ghana began her first foray in peacekeeping missions in the early 1960s when combined personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the Ghana Police Service were recruited into the UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC).

Ghana has served the United Nations peacekeeping efforts with plaudits; she has also attracted international approbation for the discipline of her troops on the battlefield, and her commitment thereof for making the mark as a top ten contributor for over two decades. 

The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana indicates that over 80,000 Ghanaian military, police and civilian personnel have served in various capacities in more than thirty UN missions for sixty years. 

The establishment of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) drew 18 personnel from Ghana, eleven experts and seven troops, also the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) which was set up in 1999 and headquartered in Kinshasa drew 489 personnel from Ghana- 22 experts, 465 troops and 2 policemen. 

Other important contributions worthy of mention are the United Nations Missions in Liberia (UNMIL) with a total 862 troops, United Nations Missions in South Sudan with troop number of 511. 

Contributing 871 troops, the Ghanaian government continued to demonstrate its resolve in peacekeeping beyond the continent by helping efforts with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to aid in peace-building efforts in the Middle East.

The foregoing are few references among many to highlight the efforts of the Ghana Armed forces’ contribution to peacekeeping and humanity. 

The disciplined consistency of their commitments, their gallantry and valour in the face of tough battles, their resilience and bravado they have exhibited across the land, air and sea in hostile territories is heartily cherished by governments, afflicted children and women, those affected by the vagaries of war and conflicts on and beyond the continent.

As a young democracy in the 1960s, the tiny West African country with a population of six million people attracted international commendation for its exploits on a gamut of matters. It joined other World leaders in Ben Barka, Ahmed Sukarno, and Neru to form a neutral intercontinental body called the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) – an organisation which was neither aligned to the Eastern nor Western blocs. Her feats also took her to Vietnam on the back of her good records on mediation. The Ghana Armed Forces supplemented these laurels by exerting her influence on world affairs and positioning her reputation among the comity of nations. Participating in peacekeeping operations was generally in line with Ghana’s roadmap of safeguarding global peace and security.

As a bastion of democracy and a model of good governance on the continent, Ghana has had to go through a few political experiments over the years to firm up the over 25-year run of good governance she has enjoyed ever since the country returned to the constitutional radar in 1992. The dividend of such a decision by her people has impacted positively on all facets of her life. Ghana has become a country that is run on a well-oiled information dissemination apparatus with a broader based public engagement, a robust and analytic civil society behemoth , and what has been described by many as the most vibrant media system in the world can be found in Ghana. 

Through the Ghana Armed forces, the country owes it a responsibility to the peoples of other countries to enjoy the same level of political stability. These are values and principles enshrined in her constitution-the 1992 constitution in Article 40 (c) and (d) which states that Ghana should: “Promote respect for international law and treaty obligations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means; and adherence to principles enshrined in or as the case may be, the aims and ideals of: (i) the Charter of the United Nations; (ii) the Charter of African Union; (iii) the Commonwealth; (iv) the Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States; and any other International Organizations of which Ghana is a member.”

To add, the spate of civil unrests in the sub-region mandates the Ghana Armed Forces to nip them in the bud to obviate a spillover of proximate conflicts into the country. An atmosphere of peace and sanity in the sub-region connotes progress in the socio-economic development of the country. Hence, Ghana would contribute troops to peacekeeping and peace-building to contain the spread of such conflagrations and maintain the peace within the sub-region and also protect her citizens living in neighboring countries who may be caught-up in the quagmire of such conflicts.

The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre opines that Ghana has been a consistent and long-standing supporter of UN peacekeeping irrespective of the type of ruling regime in Accra and the state of the domestic economy. It has usually maintained a position as a top-ten contributor of uniformed personnel for close to sixty years. The most pressing issues that have influenced decision-making on peacekeeping contributions are internal security requirements and overstretched armed/security forces. This may result from internal strife that puts pressure on the limited logistical and human resource capacity of the security services and the involvement of the military in several UN missions.

The defense budget of the Ghana Armed forces must be reviewed upwards for the procurement of better and modern equipment for her men and women on the battlefield. Whilst protecting the peace and security of the continent and beyond, they are exposed to danger, and hence do so with highly combative equipment.

Welfare matters must be attended to; an upgrade of the existing daily allowance of $31 would boost the diligence, resilience and tenacity of the combatants on the battle front. Extra attention must also be paid to welfare issues when they are on mission especially accommodation.

John Keegan, man who has several publications on warfare describes the military as men who are committed to a task, who can't compromise. Its unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until it's been done.

Albeit the glory and the commendations her peacekeeping exploits have brought, it is contingent on the Ghana Armed Forces to make some improvements to firm up the pretensions and discipline she has held onto for the past six decades. 

The Ghana Armed Forces have deepened Ghana’s image on the maps as a nation that holds dear the rule of law and is driven by commitment to maintain international peace and security.


Source: Policy Institute for International Relations and Security