ADF STAFF
Ghana in early January bolstered its maritime security capabilities when it commissioned a forward operating base in Ezinlibo, in the western region and received a Japanese-made ship at the Sekondi Naval Base.
The Ezinlibo forward operating base (FOB) is now the country’s largest naval station and is expected to provide logistical support and personnel accommodation while supporting the Ghana Navy’s efforts to combat illegal fishing, piracy and other security threats in the Gulf of Guinea. The Ezinlibo base joins a network of FOBs across the country, including those at Bui, Kenyase and Sankore. New ones are planned for Ada, Elmina, Keta and Winneba.
The Ghana Navy said the ship, GNS Achimota, is its largest vessel at 65 meters long. Then-Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said these new assets will help promote peace and stability in the region.
“GNS Achimota stands as a powerful symbol of how far our Navy has come in its 65 years of service,” Akufo-Addo said in a Facebook post. “As I said during the ceremony, ‘GNS Achimota represents the evolution of our Navy and a marker of resilience, service, and growth.’ This vessel, alongside over 20 other modern platforms acquired under my administration, reflects our unwavering dedication to making Ghana a maritime powerhouse in the region.”
Kurinoura Shipbuilding built the Achimota in Japan in 1999. It is powered by a single-screw fixed-pitch propeller and diesel engine and features advanced navigation, communication, and surveillance systems, The Defense Post reported. It can accommodate 1,000 Sailors and will also serve as a training platform for military personnel. Ghana is also expecting the delivery of two offshore patrol boats to help protect the country’s offshore oil and gas infrastructure, Military Africa reported.
“GNS Achimota is not just a ship, but it is a beacon of hope,” Ghana Chief of Naval Staff Rear Adm. Issah Adam Yakubu said during a December 21 ceremony marking the arrival of the ship.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, mostly by large, industrial Chinese trawlers, has plagued Ghana and other West African countries for decades. The practice decimates fish stocks and ratchets up the price of seafood. In Ghana, small pelagic fish populations such as sardinella have dropped 80% in the past two decades, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation. One species, sardinella aurita, is fully collapsed.
Ghanaian artisanal fisherman Ishmael Aryee said the Chinese trawlers use nets with smaller-than-allowed mesh sizes that can scoop up far more fish than can local canoes.
“Many years ago, when I joined my father in the fishing business, one wouldn’t come to the shores of Prampram without getting fresh sea fish of all types,” Aryee told the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements. “We were catching and harvesting huge volumes of fish daily. Today, things have changed and we don’t get them anymore because these Chinese trawlers use unauthorized fishing gear to trawl the depths of the sea and grab everything into their vessels to sell.”
West Africa is now considered the world’s epicenter for IUU fishing, where local governments are losing an estimated $10 billion per year, according to the Stimson Center.
The region also has emerged as a piracy hot spot. There were 18 incidents reported in the Gulf of Guinea in 2024, compared to 22 in 2023, 19 in 2022, 35 in 2021 and 81 in 2020. However, crew members continue to be at risk, with the region accounting for all 12 kidnapped crew and 23% of the total number of crew taken hostage in 2024, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
