Officers of the Ghana Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Unit have completed tactical training funded by France, as West Africa’s security threats continue to spread southwards.
Officers of the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) of the Ghana Police Service have completed a two-week training programme organised by the French Embassy in Ghana, part of a wider security partnership between the two countries.
The programme, reported by MyJoyOnline, focused on tactical and operational skills, with the aim of sharpening how the unit responds to terrorist threats. Organisers said the content was designed around the kind of threats now facing the West African sub-region, which have shifted closer to coastal states in recent years.
"A certificate is not a capability"
At the closing ceremony, the Director-General of Special Duties at the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Raymond Ali Adofiem, told the graduating officers not to treat the certificate as the end of the work.
"A certificate is not a capability," he said, urging the officers to keep training, rehearsing and maintaining their fitness, equipment and discipline rather than waiting for an emergency to find out whether they are ready.
He also asked them to pass on what they had learned. "Take the knowledge, take the discipline, take the responsibility, return to your teams and make them better," he said.
DCOP Adofiem thanked the French government, the embassy and the instructors for what he described as a sustained partnership, ending his remarks with the French phrase "merci beaucoup" \u2014 thank you very much.
Smocks for the instructors
The trainees closed the ceremony by presenting the French facilitators with fugu, the traditional smock worn mainly in northern Ghana, along with caps. The gesture was described as a symbol of gratitude and friendship between the two countries.
Officials at the event said the training went well, pointing to the discipline and commitment the officers showed over the two weeks.
Why this matters
The Counter Terrorism Unit is the arm of the Ghana Police Service set up to prevent and respond to terrorist incidents. Ghana has not suffered a major attack, but neighbouring countries in the Sahel have faced repeated violence, and coastal West African states have been building up their preparedness in response.
For Ghanaians in the United States and elsewhere who follow security news from home, the training is one more sign that Ghana is leaning on foreign partners for specialised skills rather than building that capacity alone. France has been one of those partners, and the embassy indicated the cooperation is ongoing rather than a one-off exercise.
The source report did not state how many officers took part, the exact dates of the workshop, or whether further phases of the training are planned.
