COMMANDANT

Maj Gen Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey ( )

Major General Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 16 August 1986, and posted to the 69 Airborne Force in Northern Ghana. He proceeded to the US Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1991, where he was trained and certified as a Jumpmaster/Pathfinder/Instructor. Maj Gen Irvine Aryeetey has completed all mandatory career courses including the Junior Command and Staff Course in Nigeria (1995), Infantry Officer’s Advance Course in Fort Benning, Georgia, USA (1997), Senior Command and Staff Course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (1999) and the US Army War College in Pennsylvania, USA (2015). Maj Gen Aryeetey has served in various capacities in the Ghana Armed Forces. These include, Instructor at the Jungle Warfare School, Directing Staff at the Army Combat Training School, Commanding Officer of the 69 Airborne Force, Directing Staff at the Senior Division of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) and Directing Staff at the Command and Staff College of Nigeria (2010 – 2012), as part of an exchange program. He was also Chief Instructor at both the Junior and Senior Divisions of GAFCSC until 2013. He was appointed Director of Studies of the College in 2015 and later promoted to Brigadier General and appointed Assistant Commandant of the Junior Division. In 2018, he was appointed Deputy Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC) and appointed Commandant of GAFCSC from 2 August 2022 to 6 October 2023 Maj Gen Aryeetey is an alumnus of the University for Development Studies, Ghana, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Development Studies. He obtained a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from the University of Ghana. He also obtained a second Master’s degree in Development Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, and a third Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. He has a PhD in International Affairs from the University of Ghana. He also holds Certificates in Public Administration, Conflict and Crisis Management, Defense Management, Peace Operations, and Security Sector Governance and Management. Additionally, he attended a short command course at the Pearson Centre for Peacekeeping in Canada. Maj Gen Aryeetey has participated in numerous peace support operations. These include Personnel Officer and Company Commander with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL - 1990 and 1996 respectively), Company Commander with the United Nations Mission in Cambodia (1993), Military Observer with United Nations Observer Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (2000), Commanding Officer with the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (2004), Commanding Officer with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (2006), Brigade Commander with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo (2017) and Deputy Force Commander with UNIFIL (2019 – 2022). Maj Gen Aryeetey was appointed Commandant of the National College of Defence Studies on 31 July 2023 with the mandate to nurture the College into a world-class institution. He likes analyzing current national and international issues and enjoys early morning brisk walking.