Salutations
•The Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare;
*Hon Kofi Amankwa-Manu, Deputy Minister for Defence and Board Chairman, DIHOC;
*Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, Chief of Defence Staff

•Air Vice Marshal Frank Hanson, Chief of Air Staff;
•Major General Andoh, Chief of Staff;
•Other Distinguished Senior Army officials;
•Friends of the media;
•Ladies and Gentlemen.


1. I bring you warm greetings from the President of the nation, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

2. Let me start by expressing my profound gratitude to the Ghana Armed Forces on this auspicious occasion to celebrate the laudable job they continue to do in preserving our territorial integrity and the general peace across our nation and beyond.

3. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the Ghana Armed Forces and all other security establishments in the country have depended mainly on the import of security hardware and equipment for their operations.  

4. Armaments such as Armoured Vehicles, Weapons, Ammunition, Communication Systems, are all procured from external entities mostly through Sales and Purchase Agreements with foreign suppliers.

5. This structure of Armaments acquisition through sales and purchase agreements raises several challenges that continue to undermine the efficiency of the Ghana Armed Forces.

6. For example, most of the foreign suppliers do not have a local logistics support presence here in Ghana to help maintain these very pricey and sophisticated armaments. Consequently, the maintenance and support required for these defence and security assets' effectiveness are not readily available.

7. As such, the maintenance and logistical support for these assets usually come with a huge cost for the Government, even when these ammunitions are supposedly donations from other countries.

8. Most importantly, these challenges often shorten the lifespans of these assets and reduce optimum functioning during use in some instances. Also, there is little skill transfer and no transfer-of-technology in such Sales and Purchase arrangements with foreign suppliers.
9. Ladies and Gentlemen, these undesirable state of affairs in the Ghana Armed Forces were among the reasons his Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, made it a matter of unavoidable necessity to institute the Government's flagship programmes "One-District One Factory" and the clarion call for a Ghana Beyond Aid.

10. Today, most Ghanaians only know the Ghana Armed Forces for national protection missions and international peace-keeping assignments. However, the Ghana Armed Forces and other security services in the country are a great repository of resourceful human capital in various fields of endeavours such as Engineering, Architecture, Business Administration, Logistics Management, Nursing, Medicine etc.

11. Therefore, it is not surprising that technologies and innovations such as the Jet Engine, Drones, GPS, the Walkie-Talkie, and Nuclear Technology were first developed in the military. I am sure many here would be surprised to know that some of the everyday products, services and devices that we rely on, including; the Digital Camera, the Ambulance, Blood Transfusion, the Computer, the Internet, the Wrist Watch, Super Glue, and even Mosquito Spray, all originated from the military.

12. By virtue of being members of the Armed Forces, they are not only instilled with productive skills but also trained to bring onboard, uncompromisingly, the ethics of discipline and precision, as well as the virtues of honesty and dedication to bear on whatever duty or task they are called on to do. Undeniably, the Armed Forces, all over the world, have been pacesetters for driving development efforts on diverse fronts.

13. In light of this, many countries, like the State of Israel, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and most developed and middle income developing countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, have all leveraged their militaries to catapult their development through "defence industrial complexes".

14. Ghana is yet to take full advantage of the huge technical human resource the Armed Forces have in propelling our developmental progress over the years. However, it is obvious this status quo cannot continue to persist under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo era of industrialisation and One-District One Factory for a Ghana Beyond Aid.

15. Although, the Armed Forces have had the entity called the Defence Industries Holding Company (DIHOC) for some years now, this entity has not been leveraged significantly to catalyse the industrialisation of our country until now.

16. However, the industry and investment-friendly policies since the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Government have made it possible for us to gather here to inaugurate a number of ground-breaking business enterprises today under the auspices of the Ghana Armed Forces.  

17. These thirteen (13) business entities include:

i.     DIHOC Footwear Division – For the production of footwear of all kinds, especially for security services;
ii.     DIHOC- Primesec Ghana Limited – For the construction of both vertical and horizontal infrastructure;
iii.     Defence Electronics Technology Limited (DEWTECH) – For the assemblying of electronic items such as Computers, Tablets, Phones, Prepaid Meters and Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) devices;
iv.     DIHOC – Black Swan International Limited -For the manufacturing of small calibre ammunition;
v.      DIHOC – Kenaki Manufacturing Company Limited (DIKMAC) – For the assembling of Armoured vehicles, including armoured bullion vans as well as weapons;
vi.    DIHOC-McDan Logistics Solutions Limited – For the development of an Ultramodern onshore Logistics Hub and an Amusement Park;
vii.    DIHOC – Careworld Ghana Limited – For the "The Greater Good Project" which consists of the development of a 1500 Bed Hospital, Health Farms, Pharmaceutical Company  and a Veterans Village;
viii.    DIHOC-Radi Ghana Limited – For the development of a Beachfront District;
ix.    DIHOC-Hawkrad Limited – For the development of a mixed-use commercial complex.
x.    360 Defence Builders Ghana Limited – For the construction of both vertical and horizontal infrastructure;
xi.    DIHOC – Energy West Ghana Limited – For the construction and operation of oil and gas service stations; and
xii.    DIHOC – Denzel Ghana Limited – For the "Restoring Ghana Project" which aims at dredging river bodies in the country;
Xiii. DIHOC FCC Ghana Ltd

18. I have also been made aware of a number of ongoing arrangements to increase the number of companies under the industrial complex, including the development of a 20,000 acres of land into a cattle ranch and other agro-businesses; a garment factory; iron rods manufacturing factory; an aquafarming project and a tourist site; a solar project; and the development of an integrated economic smart city.

19. Interestingly, these are all joint venture entities formed between private companies and the Ghana Armed Forces. Therefore, this development presents a beautiful synergy between the efficiencies availed by the private sector and the institutional discipline and diligence availed by the Armed Forces in driving the industrialisation strategy of the Government.

 
20. Therefore, the business community is encouraged to go into more such collaborations with the Armed Forces to develop a diversity of production value chains that will benefit all, both military and civilians alike.

 
21. Today, our gathering here to inaugurate these joint venture production companies, being spearheaded by the Armed Forces, is more than ample testimony of the manifestation of the President's vision. It is also a testament to the laudable leadership and spirit of ingenuity prevailing in our Armed Forces.

22. To our Military Chiefs, Officers, men and women, and civilian personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Joint Venture Partners, my address here today clearly shows that you are an indispensable pillar in the industrialisation drive of our dear country. Creating an industrial complex that has the potential of creating over 15,000 direct jobs and with an investment portfolio of over a billion dollars is amazing. I say kudos to everyone involved in this great feat.  

23. From our end as the Government, and particularly myself being the Chair of the Armed Forces Council,  we pledge to avail all the policies required to support these laudable joint venture companies in becoming the bedrock of a defence industrial complex; serving not only Ghana and Africa but also the defence and security needs of nations across the world. I am proud of you. Ghana is proud of you.

24. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for honouring the invitation and lending support to this landmark occasion in our nation’s journey towards industrialisation.

25. To the Board Chairman of DIHOC, I say Ayekoo. Keep up the good work.

26. God Bless you, and God Bless Our Homeland Ghana.

28. Thank you for your attention