From Shoreline to Stability: EU and Ghana Strengthen Military Skills

On the sandy training grounds, Ghanaian soldiers rehearse tactical procedures on land. Step by step, they practice how to react when an adversary appears unexpectedly. Each movement, from forming defensive positions to coordinating small-unit maneuvers, is repeated until it becomes instinct.

The scenario then evolves. After a simulated landing, the soldiers advance to secure the shoreline. They learn how to stabilize and expand a beachhead and how to scout and seize a landing zone where follow-on forces, such as armoured units, could safely deploy.

Meanwhile, on the calm waters of Lake Volta, German combat engineers train Ghanaian boat operators. Crews practice navigation, control, and coordinated movement on the water. By the end of the course, the infantry soldiers also step aboard. They learn the essentials: tactical conduct while underway and the rapid, combat-ready disembarkation that can decide the outcome of an operation.

The training is more than technical instruction. It is part of EU’s broader effort to support Ghana in strengthening its capacity to operate around and across waterways. An increasingly important capability in confronting terrorist groups and safeguarding regional stability.

For the trainers who will soon return to their units, the mission continues. What they learned here will not remain on the shores of Lake Volta; it will travel with them, shaping the skills of many more soldiers in the years ahead.

EUSDI GoG

The EU Security and Defence Initiative in Support of West African Countries of the Gulf of Guinea (EU SDI GoG) is an EU initiative under the Common Security and Defence Policy. It brings together military and civilian experts to help Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin enhance their security and defense capabilities, addressing security threats and preventing the spread of insecurity from the Sahel to the West African coastal states.