The double ceremony of naming and swearing-in of the 47th class of officer cadets and the 62nd class of non-commissioned officer cadets of the National Gendarmerie School took place this Monday, August 14, 2023.

The Minister of State, Minister of Defense, Téné Birahima Ouattara, representing the President of the Republic, H.E. Mr. Alassane Ouattara, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, presided over this double ceremony. It was held in the presence of the Minister of the Interior and Security, Vagondo Diomandé, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Adama Coulibaly, patron of the 47th class of officer cadets, General of the Army Corps and Superior Commander of the National Gendarmerie, Alexandre Apalo Touré, and Colonel-Major Camara Kinanya Alain, Commander of the Abidjan Gendarmerie School.

The 47th class of the officers' application course, made up of 27 officer cadets (9 nationals and 18 non-nationals), is named after Major General Tanny Ehueni Joseph. As for the 62nd class of first-year non-commissioned officer cadets, it numbers 1,421 cadets, including 91 female trainees, and bears the name of Chief Warrant Officer Goué Bolou Laurent.

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Adama Coulibaly, patron of the Major General Tanny Ehueni Joseph class, urged his godchildren to rise to the missions entrusted to them, while inviting them to cultivate essential values, namely a job well done, service, and humility.

"Hard work, because it is through the quality of your labor that you will distinguish yourselves. Rewards will come on their own, because a job well done is always eventually recognized. Service, because above all, you are servants of the State. Service represents the very essence of your commitment. (…) Cultivate humility, for humility is the virtue that leads to advancement. It is, above all, what characterizes a good leader," he advised his godchildren, before reassuring them of his availability to support them, drawing on his own experience.

In addition, the Minister expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic, Alassane Ouattara, and to the Minister of State, Minister of Defense, Téné Birahima Ouattara, for having approved the choice of his person as patron of this class. "This is a mark of esteem whose great significance I fully appreciate," the Minister emphasized.

The Minister of State, Minister of Defense, Téné Birahima Ouattara, for his part, stated that the gendarmerie must make a significant contribution to establishing a peaceful and sociable environment. He thus called on the graduating classes to demonstrate strong moral values and a great capacity for work.

Furthermore, the Minister of State had nothing but praise for the patron. He described him as a man of great integrity, a seasoned servant of the State, hardworking, loyal, and devoted to the national cause. "I urge you to make your own these virtues that characterize this great statesman," he recommended.

Colonel-Major Camara Kinanya Alain, Commander of the Abidjan Gendarmerie School, affirmed that these officer and non-commissioned officer cadets are capable and ready to serve wherever needed in the face of the new forms of crime (terrorism, cybercrime) plaguing society.

Source: SERCOM MFB