Ghana Armed Forces Is Broke

Disturbing information picked up by The Herald, indicates that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) attachés abroad, are having difficulties with the payment of rent for over a year now.

The Defence Advisers (DAs), this paper has learnt, have written several letters to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Major General Obed Akwa, but they are yet to get any favourable response from him.

The affected countries include; the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), China, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cote D’Ivore, Egypt, among others.

They are, therefore, sending a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the Government to intervene quickly before they are thrown out of their apartments.

Sources say, many reminders sent to authorities have fallen on deaf ears, as the situation has remained the same more than a year now.

According to insiders, last August, all the Missions with Military Advisers/Attachés abroad, were asked to submit their rents to the Office of the Chief of Staff at the seat of government for payment, however, payment was not made.

The DAs of the Missions, have followed-up with telephone calls on the issue, but their efforts have been fruitless so far.

The situation is beginning to give negative image to the Missions and Ghana as a country.

The situation is looking embarrassing, as property owners, according to sources, are frequently on the neck of Defense Advisers, demanding their money.

Failure to settle them this paper was reliably informed, will lead to the DAs and the staff, being forced to vacate their accommodation, as the rent agreement stipulates.

In an interview with the Director of Public Relations (PRO) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Col. Eric Aggrey Quarshie yesterday, he could not confirm nor deny the authenticity of the information.

He said, though he has heard about the issue, he is yet to contact those who will brief him on whether or not the lamentations of the officers were true.

According to Col. Quarshie, the officers he is expected to demand answers from, have been busy throughout the week and so he has been unable to verify the information at the time this paper called him.

“I have to follow up and find out because everybody that calls says there is this problem, but I have not seen any correspondent that is saying there is this problem. The whole of this week, there are series of activities, and the people I will go and talk to, are the same people who are involved in the activities. I will cross check and get back to you”.