The United States Government says it is working across Coastal West Africa to promote social cohesion, inclusive economic growth, and accountable governance to prevent conflict.
Describing Ghana as a model for Africa and the rest of the world in terms of “its peaceful elections and subordination of the military to civilian authority,” US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer explained that the US works closely with Ghana and many regional partners to build the capacity of security forces on and offshore.
She said this at the second annual African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) and third Naval Infantry Leaders Symposium-Africa (NILS-A) in Accra.
The government representative noted that as part of the “$28 million in U.S. security assistance to Ghana” last year (2023), a number of interventions have been made in enhancing the security of the West African Country.
“That includes technical training at the GAF Engineering School, maritime maintenance training at Naval Base Sekondi, and naval infrastructure projects at NAVTRAC.
“It also includes equipment to build the capacity of the Ghana Navy, like the two 87-foot coastal security ships bolstering maritime security capacity in the Gulf of Guinea. We also provided $6 million in additional equipment to the Special Boat Squadron and projects at NAVTRAC,” Virginia Palmer noted.
The Ambassador’s comments heralded a meeting of governmental and military leaders from more than 40 countries on four continents attending the summit on April 30, 2024.
According to a release from both the U.S. Navy and the Ghana Armed Forces, the combination of the AMFS and NILS-A this year for the first time provides a unique venue for participants to address shared concerns and expand maritime cooperation and coordination.
The fora will strengthen strategic-level relationships to help facilitate better regional cooperation when dealing with maritime threats.
“AMFS and NILS-A help all of us to better understand challenges maritime and naval forces face along African shores and out to sea,” said Adm. Stuart Munsch, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) and commander, Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Naples. “I look forward to working with our Ghana Navy hosts and all participants this week to support African-led solutions to pressing issues that connect our maritime and naval forces.”
Over the next three days, African and international leaders will join a series of panels and focused discussions on maritime security challenges and opportunities. Specific panels include Strategies for Cooperation and Models for Combined Operations, The Spectrum of Maritime Action: At Sea and In the Littorals, Assessing Maritime Security Interventions, and Countering and Prosecuting Illicit Maritime Activity (From Piracy to IUUF).
For Ambassador Palmer, the security cooperation Between the United States and Its allies such as Ghana “goes far beyond equipment. It’s about building a long-term partnership, learning from each other, sharing best practices, and training together”.
In view of this, the diplomat revealed that in the next month, Ghana will host and participate in multiple international military training exercises: Obangame Express, African Lion, and Flintlock.
Additionally, through the multi-year implementation of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS), the U.S. Government is working across Coastal West Africa to promote social cohesion, inclusive economic growth, and accountable governance in order to prevent conflict.