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Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, the Eastern Regional Minister, has urged security officers to put the interest of the nation first in whatever decision they took to ensure peace in the country.

She said security had become a collective responsibility of all citizens and no longer reserved for members of the security agencies especially the Armed Forces and the Police.

Ms Frimpong said this at a graduation ceremony of the Junior Staff Course 65 of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) in Accra.

She said the emerging threats to the peace and security of the times required collaborative efforts with ECOWAS members and other international partners to ensure peace and security in the country.

Ms Frimpong said total vigilance was demanded of all to ensure that citizens did not become victims of terrorism and biological threats such as the Ebola and Zika viral diseases.

“There may emerge other new internal security challenges which we must prepare to deal with. What is striking in these threats is that they know no boundaries; our response measures thus must be equally holistic to achieve the desired effect,” she said.

The Junior Staff Course started in January 29, 2016 with 50 students made up of two Nigerian Air Force officers and 48 Ghanaian officers from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

They were trained in; Staff Functions, Written and Oral Communication, General Staff Duties, Peace Support Operations and Professional Development.

Eight officers from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Immigration Service and the Bureau of National Investigation, who participated in a two-week Internal Security and Counter Insurgency phase of the course, were presented with certificates.

Brigadier General C. B. Alhassan, the Assistant Commandant of the Junior Division of GAFCSC, said the course was to train selected officers of the rank of captain or its equivalent to perform staff functions up to “Grade 3 Level”.

It involves developing their leadership, analytical and communication skills while providing the foundation for their subsequent career development.

Brig. Gen. Alhassan said the officers, as part of the training, embarked on a successful tour of the Eastern Region where students researched into some of the existing challenges to the development of the region.

He said the study covered three thematic areas; activities of Fulani herdsmen especially in the Abetifi area, youth unemployment and illegal mining and their implications on security, and economic development.

Brig. Gen. Alhassan said the study also researched into the effectiveness of the local government structure as a tool in conflict-resolution adding that the students produced a comprehensive report at the end of the tour which would be forwarded to the Headquarters for its perusal.

He acknowledged the contribution of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, the Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Professor Franklyn Acheampong Manu, and lecturers from both institutions for their continued support to the course.