Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned a new naval base as well as the GNS Achimota, the largest ship in Ghana’s navy.
Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ezinlibo is the largest naval base in the Ghana Navy and was commissioned on 23 December in Jomoro in the Western Region. FOB Ezinlibo has a harbour, administration block, armoury, medical centre, stores facility, and accommodation capable of housing over 1 000 personnel. Construction work began five years ago. The new base is close to the border with Côte d’Ivoire, making it ideally located for protecting Ghana’s offshore oilfields.
At the commissioning ceremony, the President said he is committed to strengthening the Ghana Navy’s capabilities. He stated that the establishment of the Naval Training Command at Nutekpor and the Riverine Command, alongside strategically located FOBs like Ezinlibo, Tilli, Bui, Sankore and Kenyase, reflect his government’s determination to secure Ghana’s resources and ensure peace and stability in the region.
The President in his address at the commissioning ceremony of GNS Achimota at the Sekondi Naval Base said the government’s achievements, including the acquisition of over 20 modern platforms, demonstrate the unwavering commitment to making Ghana a maritime powerhouse in the sub region.
GNS Achimota is the third ship to bear the name after two previously decommissioned vessels, and is the largest vessel so far acquired by the Ghana Navy, measuring 65 metres in length, the Ghana Navy stated.
The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, in his welcome address expressed gratitude to the President and the Japanese Ambassador for facilitating the acquisition of the vessel from Japan. GNS Achimota (P46) previously served as the Japanese Fisheries Agency patrol vessel Aratsu.
The vessel was built by Kurinoura Shipbuilding in Japan in 1999 and has a complement of 20 people. It was listed as being sold by SeaBoats marine brokers. It arrived at Sekondi Naval Base for the first time on 21 December.
On its arrival, Yakubu commended and congratulated the Commanding Officer of GNS Achimota, Commander Joshua Joy MacSimpiney and the ship’s crew, for successfully completing the longest passage in Ghana Navy’s History, by crossing the equator two times at the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
GNS Achimota sailed from Yawatahama Port in Japan on 18 October 2024, covering a distance of 10 869 nautical miles to arrive home. The ship will be employed in the Ghana Navy fleet among others for fisheries protection duties and as a training vessel for both Officers and Ratings, the Ghana Navy said.
Akufo-Addo last month urged Parliament to expedite approval for the acquisition of two 72 metre Offshore Patrol Vessels to enhance the nation’s maritime security. Ghana is making efforts to modernise its naval capabilities to safeguard its maritime resources. Part of these efforts saw the Ghana Navy take delivery of two Defender class boats (GNS Issah Yakubu and GNS David Hansen) from the United States in September 2024.
The US has provided four 38-foot boats, maintenance spares, communication equipment, Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) gear, weapons, ammunition, and other essential support over the past two years.
In July 2023 the US donated two Defender class boats to Ghana’s Special Boat Squadron. A month before, the Ghana Navy took delivery of two former US Coast Guard Marine Protector patrol boats (GNS Aflao and GNS Half Assini) supplied by the United States under its Excess Defence Articles (EDA) programme.
One of the highlights of the expansion of Ghana’s Navy was the acquisition of four Flex Fighter offshore patrol vessels that were built in Singapore by Penguin Shipyard. They were commissioned in February 2022. These four vessels were bought to provide dedicated security to the country’s offshore oil and gas installations.
In October 2017 Ghana commissioned into service four Chinese-made patrol boats (985Y), which have a maximum displacement of 8.6 tons, a maximum speed of 38 knots and range of 220 nautical miles. Previously, Ghana has bought Chinese military hardware that includes two 46 metre patrol vessels ordered from Poly Technologies in 2008. The two were commissioned in 2011.
New naval infrastructure is also being added, including multiple forward operating bases across the coastline.
