A 200-bed female accommodation facility has been
inaugurated for military personnel at the Army Recruit Training School
at Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region, to augment the accommodation
needs of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The project, which was funded by the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) for
Women in Peace Operations, marked a major milestone in the ongoing
efforts to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for women
in the GAF.
The Elsie Initiative Fund, launched by the Government of Canada in
2017, is dedicated to increasing the meaningful participation of women
in United Nations peace operations.
Through such funding initiatives, the EIF hopes to make strides
towards removing systemic barriers to ensure the involvement of women in
peace and security efforts globally.
EIF project
The facility was designed to address the deficit in female
accommodation, one of the key barriers to female participation in
military roles.
This is the second of such EIF-funded projects in Ghana, having
previously funded the construction of a gender-sensitive 100-bed female
accommodation facility at the Army Special Operations Training School,
Daboya, in the Savannah Region in May 2024.
Ceremony
The inauguration of the facility yesterday attracted the presence of
the Gender Advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff, Group Captain
Theodora Agornyo, the Director-General of International Peace Support
Operations at the General Headquarters, Brig. Gen. Augustine Asiedu,
and other Commanders from the GAF.
Speaking at the function, the General Officer Commanding (GOC)
Southern Command, Brig. Gen. Samuel Yeboah Asare, said traditionally,
the structures in place for recruits and other training in the GAF had
been geared towards the training of male recruits and other officers.
He indicated that in line with global trends of gender equality and
the UN agenda on women's peace and security, the GAF had increased its
intake of female trainees in all its training institutions.
He said in 2024, the Army Recruit Training School trained 830
recruits out of which 224, representing about 30 per cent, were females,
the highest number of females trained by the school so far.
Brig. Gen. Asare, however, noted that the existing facilities were
inadequate for the training of the increased number of female recruits.
He said the female recruits were housed in wooden structures,
necessitating the collaboration between the GAF and the EIF for the
construction of a gender-sensitive facility.
He said GAF took issues of gender inclusivity very seriously and this
had been manifested in the number of women deployed to UN peacekeeping
missions over the years.
The UN’s Senior Gender Specialist, Dr Afua Ansere said the facility,
funded through a $1.5 million project, demonstrated Ghana’s strong
commitment to addressing structural barriers that limited women's
participation in peacekeeping.
Dr Ansere, who spoke on behalf of the Fund Manager of the Elsie
Initiative Fund, Deborah Warren Smith, commended the GAF for
consistently showing strong leadership and making gender inclusivity a
key priority, adding that it had continued to champion initiatives that
promoted the recruitment, retention and deployment of women, ensuring
they were prepared to serve in diverse roles, including combat and
leadership.
"It is also important to acknowledge Ghana's broader
efforts to increase the representation of women in peacekeeping. As one
of the top contributors of uniformed women to UN missions, Ghana
continues to demonstrate how institutional reforms can drive global
progress,” Ms Ansere said.
Influence
A Counsellor at the Canadian High Commission in Ghana in
charge of Political and Public Affairs, Elsa Mouelhi-Rondeau, said by
deploying more women to UN peace operations, troop and
police-contributing countries were even better placed to deliver on
their mandates and protect civilians.
She said peacekeeping units
that included women could more easily gain the trust of populations
affected by conflict and, therefore, obtained important insights and
intelligence allowing them to protect all segments of the population, as
well as themselves.
Ms Mouelhi-Rondeau said recruitment and training
were the beginning of the journey of a peacekeeper, adding that this
important step set the tone for soldiers' careers; hence, by providing
safe, convivial and inclusive environments that were well adapted to
women’s needs, the Ghana Armed Forces would become more attractive to
young women, ensuring that they would retain the talent and skills of
those recruited, and allow more women to be able to reach their full
potential and contribute their skills.
Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
VIA: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/elsie-initiative-fund-constructs-200-bed-female-accommodation-facility-for-gaf.html
