Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana Navy, Ghana’s National Signals Bureau (NSB), and Soko Aerial Robotics School – a private entity – have consented to commence efforts aimed at producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) locally, for use by the Navy to fulfill its mandate.
The tripartite understanding was reached when the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Issah Adam Yakubu, received the Director General, NSB – Mr Kwabena Adu-Boahene who paid a courtesy call to the Ghana Naval Headquarters (NHQ), Burma Camp, Accra, on Thursday 8 February 2024.
The Director General visited the CNS, as follow-up to a recent presentation of twenty-two (22) communication equipment the NSB delivered to the Navy, after one-week of survey undertaken by NSB of the Navy nationwide, and installation of a safe and secure network, to aid the marine force in its operations.
In a few remarks during the visit, R/Adm IA Yakubu spoke of how impressed he is of the professionalism and dedication of the NSB, whose team toured all Ghana Navy Units, bases, detachments and some ships, from Ghana’s easternmost to the westernmost, resulting in a quick but comprehensive plan, which they installed within a week, and delivered the equipment.
During the visit, the CNS and some Staff Officers briefed Mr Adu-Boahene and his Operations Director – Mr Benjamin Ansah, of activities at the national Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) at the NHQ, with the guests – who appeared awed – expressing further interest in helping the Navy in surveillance.
After being informed of the capabilities of Soko Aerial Robotics in UAVs, to aid in surveillance of the maritime space, the NSB team requested to meet with Soko Aerial Robotics, and forthwith, after a tripartite meeting on the same day, the CNS, Mr Adu-Boahene, and Soko Aerial, reconvened deliberations, leading to a strategic decision to produce UAVs in Ghana, to effectively enhance the operations of the Navy.
Mr Adu-Boahene, whose NSB is mandated to provide integrated secure signal systems for national security and intelligence agencies, expressed excitement at his experience with dealing with the Navy, and their proficiency at work, saying that something extremely fundamental, good, and forward-looking, is being done by the Navy, and would yield excellent performance.
He expressed displeasure at how Ghana usually carts hard-earned funds to foreign countries to acquire technology and equipment that could be gotten for ten times cheaper, locally, and stated that the NSB commits only to institutions that demonstrate urgency, commitment, and have a clear direction and understanding of what they do.
The CNS earlier on Wednesday 7 February 2024, conferred with a 2-man delegation from the NSB, led by the Deputy Director General (DDG) – Mr Kwasi Nkansah Dwira, on the current cyber landscape and the challenges faced by the Ghana Navy in safeguarding systems and data.
Present at the deliberations included the Chief Staff Officer (CSO), NHQ – Commodore (Cdre) Prosper Modey; Deputy CSO, Plans and Policy – Cdre Solomon Asiedu-Larbi; Director, Naval Operations – Naval Captain Yirenkyi; Naval Secretary – Lieutenant Commander Kofi Amponsah Duodu.
by Kofi Ampeah-Woode
Photo Credit: GHANA NAVY PR
