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The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have begun a major redevelopment drive at Burma Camp with the launch of three infrastructure projects aimed at improving accommodation and welfare for military personnel and their families.
The projects comprise the Burma Camp Redevelopment Project, the Post Office Redevelopment Project and the El-Wak Redevelopment Project.
After completion, these projects will transform the Burma Camp into a modern, well-planned residential enclave with multi-level housing units, upgraded utility systems and improved social infrastructure.
The initiative forms part of a broader barracks regeneration agenda aimed at replacing ageing and deteriorating structures with facilities that meet current standards of safety, comfort and dignity.
The El-Wak Redevelopment Project will replace 18 ageing accommodation blocks currently occupied by 180 families with 192 modern housing units, made up of eight blocks of two-bedroom apartments and four blocks of one-bedroom studio apartments.
The project is expected to be completed within nine months.
The Burma Camp Redevelopment Project, which is one of the largest military housing schemes undertaken by the GAF, will replace accommodation for 36 families with 248 family units, representing about a 600 per cent increase in housing capacity.
The new development will comprise three-storey two-bedroom apartments and large studio apartments.
The Post Office Redevelopment Project will also transform the existing post office at Burma Camp into a two-storey multipurpose complex.
The ground floor will accommodate two banking halls with supporting facilities, while the first floor will house the new post office, a conference room, a travel and tour office, and additional office space for lease.
Speaking during a sod-cutting ceremony for the project last Thursday, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi, described the redevelopment programme as a major investment in the welfare of military personnel, saying soldiers who dedicated their lives to protecting the country deserved decent accommodation.
He said many officers and soldiers continued to live in buildings that had exceeded their lifespan, despite years of faithful service to the nation.
“Behind the walls that I see are men and women who stand guard while the nation sleeps.
Behind these walls are families who sacrifice quietly so that Ghana can live in peace,” he said.
Mr Brogya Genfi said many of the houses had deteriorated over the years, with patched roofs and ageing walls, but soldiers continued to endure the conditions with resilience.
He said their sacrifices should not be taken for granted, stressing that the country owed its military personnel more than expressions of gratitude.
“The men and women who protect Ghana should not have to make it work.
They deserve homes that work for them.
They deserve safety.
They deserve dignity.
They deserve comfort,” he stated.
He explained that the sod-cutting ceremony marked more than the beginning of construction works, describing it as the start of a renewed commitment to improving the lives of soldiers and their families.
The deputy minister said the redevelopment of Burma Camp and other military barracks would preserve an important part of the country’s military history while preparing the facilities to meet present and future operational needs.
He commended the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Military High Command for choosing to redevelop the ageing infrastructure instead of continuing with temporary repairs.
“The easy thing would have been to continue repairing the ageing buildings, to patch another roof, to repaint another wall, to postpone another difficult decision.
Instead, the Chief of the Defence Staff chose transformation. He chose innovation.
He chose partnership,” he said.
Mr Brogya Genfi said the significance of the projects extended beyond the construction of buildings, explaining that decent accommodation directly influenced the morale, retention and operational readiness of military personnel.
“For me, this project is bigger than the bricks and the mortar that we will see.
It has its roots in the morale of personnel.
It is about retention. It is about operational readiness.
And I dare say, it is also about national security,” he stated.
He said the projects aligned with the government’s Resetting Ghana Agenda, and complemented the ongoing 10,000 Housing Units Programme across military garrisons.
