Ghana Navy participated in Exercise Grand African NEMO (GANO) 2026 from Thursday 29 October to Thursday 6 November 2026, with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation and enhancing operational preparedness in addressing maritime security threats.
The exercise brought together the navies and maritime agencies of participating countries to test response capabilities, enhance operational coordination, and assess readiness to handle maritime security and safety incidents, particularly drug trafficking.
By this, it involved scenarios including narcotics trafficking, Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing and oil spill management. These were designed to evaluate surveillance, information sharing, incident reporting, and response procedures in tackling illicit maritime activities.
Exercise GANO 2026 provided an opportunity to assess existing operational frameworks and strengthen collaboration in addressing emerging security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea.
The exercise reaffirmed Ghana Navy’s commitment to enhancing maritime security, deepening regional partnerships, and strengthening collective efforts to combat transnational maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
The participating national maritime stakeholder agencies included Ghana Air Force, Ghana Maritime Authority, Attorney General’s Department,Ghana Immigration Service and Marine Police. The rest were Environmental Protection Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Petroleum Commission, Fisheries Commission, Narcotics Control Commission and Tullow Ghana Limited.
Story by: Rabiatu Dery
Pictures: Ebenezer Adu-Saforo and WNC Album
