President
Kabbah Opens Sierra Leone's First Military Academy
Sierra Leonean military officers like many of
their counterparts in the sub-region now have
their own local military institution of higher
l
earning
to be proud of, as President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
today officially opened the Africanus Horton
Armed Forces Academy (AHAFA), located in the
serene surroundings of Leicester Square at the
foothills of Leicester Peak just outside Freetown.
Funded
by the British government, through the International
Military Advisory and Training Team (IMATT),
the structures include well-furnished lecture
rooms, a large multi-purpose hall and other
ancillary facilities to provide continuous training
for officers of the Republic of Sierra Leone
Armed Forces (RSLAF) throughout their career.
In
his formal statement, President Kabbah, who
i
s
also Commander-in-Chief of the RSLAF, reiterated
that the cornerstone of his government's security
policy remained "the creation of a truly
professional military force that will at all
times be aware of its constitutional responsibility
and totally answerable to the people".
He
pointed to the need for an appropriate educational
institution that would enable officers improve
their leadership capabilities and apply them
towards the good of the nation.
"What we are launching today is an institution
where our men and women in the army can acquire
relevant educational training and ski
lls
that would enhance their professionalism and
prepare them for promotion to higher ranks and
assumption of greater responsibility,"
the Commander-In-Chief said, noting that the
occasion also marked another phase in the ongoing
restructuring of the armed forces.
The
various courses to be taught at the Academy
will aim to expand the ability of the Officer
Corps to undertake the challenging task of transforming
the RSLAF into a modern and highly capable force.
Courses taught by the Directing Staff will address
a diverse range of subjects and will attract
resource persons and participants from across
the sub-region. 
Resource
persons will include speakers from government,
academia, professional fields, competent media
practitioners and qualified individuals from
civil society.
The
Head of State who described the Africanus Horton
Armed Forces Academy (AHAFA) as "an invaluable
investment for the future of our country",
paid tributes to Lieutenant Colonel James 'Africanus'
Horton, a son of the soil, after whom the institution
was named. Horton, a nationalist and visionary,
was born in the mountain village of Gloucester
in 1835 and was responsible for persuading the
Colonial Government to establish a system of
educat
ing
African surgeons for the Army in West Africa,
as well as the institution of a Medical School
in Sierra Leone. The son of a carpenter, Horton
worked hard to achieve his education. After
attending what was later to become Fourah Bay
College he received a scholarship to study medicine
at King's College, London.
Africanus
Horton was subsequently one of the first Africans
to qualify as a medical doctor. He joined the
British Army Medical Service as one of the first
to serve as an officer in the British Army.
Horton rose to become a Lieutenant Colonel in
the British Army but not content with with being
only a doctor, army officer and scientist in
the study of tropical diseases he went on to
publish a number of books setting out the guidelines
for independence of West African States. He
died after his return to Freetown in 1883.
Earlier
in his introductory remarks, British Military
Adviser to Sierra Leone, Brigadier Adrian Freer,
said: "The RSLAF is nothing without an
officer corps who can lead it." He said
this required men imbued with loyalty, enthusiasm,
integrity, knowledge and ability to command,
pointing out that none of these is possible
without a firm academic base.
-End-
