The Ghana Armed Forces showcased its new skills house where personnel will be trained to combat terrorism. The facility, which opened in February at the Ghana Army’s Special Operations Training School in Daboya will help troops refine skills in house-clearing tactics, cross-border operations and urban warfare. It also is expected to enhance intelligence sharing and joint military exercises among Ghana and its neighbors.
Brig. Gen. Frank Nartey Tei, the GAF’s general officer commanding the Northern Command, expressed gratitude to the U.S. government during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. He noted that the U.S. has long been a key security partner for Ghana, adding that the new facility reaffirms an alliance that has been strengthened through joint military exercises, such as Flintlock and African Lion.
Col. Antwi Awuah Darkwah, deputy commander of the Ghana Army Special Operations Brigade, said the facility highlighted the strong bond and shared values of service, sacrifice and compassion between the two countries.
About a week before the skills house was handed over, Ghanaian President John Mahama met with Gen. Michael E. Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), to address subregional security threats on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
“Today’s meeting with General Langley highlights Ghana’s commitment to enhancing our security posture in response to evolving threats across the region,” Mahama said in a report by African Business. “We appreciate the support of the United States and are keen to expand our collaborative efforts.”
Mahama and Langley also discussed ways to improve coordination between AFRICOM and the GAF regarding security cooperation and logistics.
Unlike its West African neighbors, Ghana has been spared from major terror attacks, but violent extremists fighting in Burkina Faso have begun using the border area as a logistical and medical base to sustain their insurgency, sources told Reuters in October.
As these terror groups continue their westward spread, people in the area face risks of infiltration and radicalization.
GAF operations in northern Ghana involve patrolling, roadblocks and supporting missions to protect the border. In September, terrorists killed at least 12 Togolese Soldiers in an attack on a military base 70 kilometers from Ghana, near the Burkina Faso border. Days later, Burkina Faso and Ghana resumed joint security patrol operations that were suspended after Burkina Faso left the Economic Community of West African States. Patrols also have increased along Ghana’s border with Togo.
The GAF also is also working to improve civil-military relations in northern Ghana. In September, representatives from the GAF, the Institute for Security Governance (ISG), AFRICOM, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa engaged in a five-day workshop in Accra that focused on building civil-military capacity. This supported the GAF’s efforts to create a civil-military operations directive that will institutionalize civil-military operations within its military activities.
The workshop offered a “vital opportunity to share knowledge and strategies that can address” security challenges, Brig. Gen. Kweku Dankwa Hagan, Ghana’s deputy chief of staff in charge of operations and training at Ghana Army Headquarters, said in a news release.
“Our objective is to strengthen the capabilities of West African security institutions through training, education and advisory services, focusing on strategic planning, leadership and operational effectiveness,” Dean Bland, ISG regional program coordinator for Central West Africa, said in the release.