The Western Naval Command (WNC) has held a Junior Rates Convention for personnel of the Ghana Navy from Monday 23 to Friday 27, 2022.
The week-long convention which was held at the School of Maritime Engineering and Combat Systems (SMECS) of WNC, was under the theme “Expansion and Reorganisation of the Ghana Navy-Roles and Expectations of Junior Ratings.”
It was aimed at eliciting ideas and opinions from Junior Rates on matters particularly relating to their roles in operations, administration, training, logistics and welfare in the Ghana Navy and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) at large.
During the closing ceremony of the convention, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, who also doubles as the 2 Garrison Commander, Commodore Samuel Walker noted that, like any branches in organisational structure, Junior Rate happened to be the starting point in the rank structure of the Navy and their roles and expectations towards achieving the overall success of Command could not be over emphasised.
He said one of the ways personnel of their calibre could make an impact of effective change in the profession was to add value and support Command and that could be achieved by their understanding of what matters to Higher Command and adding value where they could.
He assured them that their outlined suggestions and contributions would go a long way to influence policies which will help in achieving the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). He was hopeful that the lectures and discussions had enlightened their plans to expand the Ghana Navy and given them a clear idea of their roles in the ongoing expansion.
The FOC admonished the Junior Rates to be proactive in finding ways to add meaningful value in wherever they found themselves, adding that, they will reap whatever input they inject into the system when they become senior rates.
In all, 70 Junior Rates from various Commands of the Ghana Navy participated in the convention. They were taken through various topics such as Ensuring operational security and intelligence, the Navy divisional system, financial management of the Junior Rate. Others included, the Junior Rate and family life, Training Opportunities for the Junior Rate in an expanding Navy, the role of the Junior Rate in a vibrant Navy among others.
In attendance were the Director Naval Administration, Captain(GN) Ramzy Bamba, Director Naval Training Captain (GN) Dennis KA Eghan, Director Research, Capt (GN) KK Donkor, and very Senior Officers of the Ghana Navy.
