The Ministry of Defence has inaugurated a sixteen-unit, two-bedroom, four-storey accommodation block for officers of the 6 Battalion of Infantry at Kamina Barracks in Tamale, in the Northern region.
The initiative is part of efforts to improve the accommodation challenges facing the Ghana Armed Forces across the country, improve the welfare of soldiers, and boost morale among personnel.
The building consists of sixteen flats in two wings of eight flats. A flat consists of two bedrooms, a living area, a dining area, a kitchen, a kitchen balcony, a utility area, shared washrooms, a visitors washroom, a storeroom, and an entrance terrace.
The building has two access staircases and four access corridors that connect and link the two wings of the block and the sixteen flats together.
The Commanding Officer of the 6 Battalion of Infantry, Lt. Colonel Jerry Ankuyi, expressed gratitude in his welcome address to the government and the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces for their efforts to improve the welfare of soldiers at the Kamina Barracks. He emphasised that accommodation remains one of the biggest challenges facing personnel at the Kamina Barracks and appealed for more to address the challenge.
“Even though this new accommodation may not be adequate to solve the accommodation challenges facing the unit, it will greatly ameliorate officer accommodation difficulties in the unit,” he explained.
The Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, was accompanied by some service commanders and the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Saani Alhassan Shaibu. Mr. Nitiwul commended the Ghana Armed Forces for their achievements so far in keeping the country’s borders safe from the threat of terrorism. He pledged government’s support to ensure the welfare of soldiers across the country.
“While I commend the efforts of the units under the Northern Command for the job done so far, let me admonish you to remain resolute and professional as you conduct operations in support of civil authority,” the Minister emphasised.