Bissau: The ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) has organised a five-kilometre route march to promote physical fitness and teamwork among personnel. The exercise was held on Saturday in Bissau as part of the mission’s monthly physical training programme.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the exercise aimed to enhance operational efficiency, strengthen camaraderie, and improve interoperability among mission personnel and Guinea-Bissau security forces. Maj. Reuben Kovangiya, Military Public Information Officer, Force Headquarters ESSMGB, highlighted the importance of such initiatives in a statement.
Speaking after the exercise, the Force Commander, ESSMGB, Brig.-Gen. Danjuma Dantani, emphasised the significance of regular physical training for maintaining personnel’s fitness, wellbeing, and operational readiness. Dantani mentioned that the exercise was designed to foster unity among personnel while encouraging healthy lifestyles and reducing health risks linked to physical inactivity.
The joint exercise provided an opportunity for personnel from various components of the mission and host nation’s security forces to interact and exercise together. Dantani noted that such engagements would strengthen team spirit, camaraderie, and interoperability among the participating forces.
He urged contingent commanders to prioritise physical fitness by ensuring their officers and soldiers remain physically fit and operationally ready at all times. The Force Commander commended participants for their commitment to the exercise, stressing that collective fitness and teamwork were vital to achieving the mission’s mandate.
Participants included officers and soldiers of FHQ ESSMGB, staff of the Office of the Resident Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, and contingents from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. Personnel of the mission’s Level II Hospital also participated in the exercise, alongside members of the Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces comprising the Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Guard.
The route march formed part of the mission’s regular physical training programme aimed at sustaining personnel’s fitness and preparedness for effective performance of their duties.