Banking crisis led to Army career for Sergeant Dennis Kofitia

After completing a degree in banking and finance at Central University, Accra, in his home country Ghana, Dennis moved to Barnett, London to work in financial sales.

But the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis began to cripple his industry. So, having been inspired as a boy by the history of the British Army, he decided to join.

Dennis, who now lives in Tidworth, said: “My uncle served in the Ghanian Army and was sent to London as a Defence Attaché, while my great aunt married a British Officer, and I spent many a happy hour as a child hearing his stories, so when I needed to reassess my path, it was an obvious choice.”

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Dennis has had a varied Army career, including several operational tours with multiple cap badges. He’s served in Afghanistan, fixed vehicles in Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Close Support and now conducts investigations in the Royal Military Police (RMP).

The 44-year-old said: “After training at Army Training Centre Pirbright, I was in the REME for three years, serving in a close support group as a vehicle mechanic, where my primary responsibility was responding to vehicles breaking down.

Sgt D Kofitia, RMP, on Jkl, on Op Cabrit Poland at Bemowo Piskie Camp 2 (Image: Lance Corporal James Tuffnell, UK MOD @ Crown Copyright 2023)

“I deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 with the Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistics Regiment on Op Herrick. Afghanistan was an interesting time for me, I was on a very kinetic tour, but I enjoyed the fast-paced nature of the work.

“I subsequently joined the RMP in 2010 when I returned from Afghanistan. My role is investigations, collecting and handling evidence and reporting incidents and crime. I have conducted investigations in Kenya, Cyprus, and Germany."

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Dennis has also worked with the Intelligence Corps, Special Investigations Branch (SIB) and as a crime scene investigator. 

He is currently in Poland, serving as an individual augmentee on Operation Cabrit, the UK deployment in Eastern Europe where British troops lead a multinational Battlegroup as part of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) – a persistent, rotational deployment of robust, combat-ready forces in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

A highlight of the tour saw the British Ambassador to Poland, Anna Clunes, invite Dennis and fellow soldiers to celebrate the King’s Coronation with her at the embassy.

He said: “It was awe-inspiring to be part of such a vibrant environment and I felt very privileged to have been invited."

Dennis has been to 15 countries throughout his Army career. “I had no idea I would travel so much when I joined,” he said. “The comradeship and support between soldiers has been much greater than the already high expectations I had."

Dennis is hoping to be promoted to Staff Sergeant when he returns from Op Cabrit next month. He added: “It’s been an honour to have been a part of so much of the British Army’s recent history.

“I have been supported to become a father during my time in the Army and I have four beautiful children. Being away from them is hard, but the hugs they give me when I get back make me forget the hardship of being away from them almost immediately.

“Serving is my whole life, I am committed to my work in a way that I couldn’t imagine in my previous civilian job.

“I am looking forward to returning to the UK from Op Cabrit to command my Section. I particularly enjoy leadership in any guise, seeing a team grow and helping develop individuals never stops being rewarding.”

The British Army is recruiting right now to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK with more than 200 roles to choose from, covering everything from frontline combat and cyber security to helicopter pilots, chefs and support roles. If you’re aged 16 to 50 and want to find out more about a career in the Army, click here.