Kofi Ampeah Woode
Over three hundred (300) defence representatives from forty-seven (47) countries are participating in the weeklong 13th edition of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS), which is being co-hosted by Ghana and the United States of America (USA) Army, to discuss critical strategic interests, to strengthen cooperation to confront common threats.
The opening ceremony of the global event took place at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra, with Ghana’s Defence Minister – Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah as the Guest of Honour, and the Ambassador of the USA to Ghana – Her Excellency (HE) Virginia Palmer as Special Guest, under the theme: “optimizing armed forces for the emerging security environment”.
ALFS ’25 is being jointly organized by the Ghana Army and the US Army through the Southern European Task Force Africa (SETAF-AF).
Speaking on behalf of the President of Ghana, and the Commander-in-Chief (C-In-C) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, Ghana’s Minister for Defence said global contemporary defence and security challenges have accentuated the need for multinational and multi-domain solutions.
The threat of violent extremism (VE) and terrorism, which is currently prevalent in the West African sub-region and other parts of the world, have underscored the preeminence of cooperation, collaboration, and defence diplomacy, the President said.
The C-In-C expressed his expectations of discussions by military personnel, security experts, members of academia and industry players in the defence sector, on topics such as cross-border security, professional military education (PME), military technology, as well as misinformation and disinformation.
In Ghana, the C-In-C said, issues surrounding the extraction of natural resources and youth unemployment continue to pose a real threat to national security, as government injects innovative approaches to deal with such threats.
President Mahama expressed the hope that ALFS ’25 would offer a unique entry point and platform to source solutions from some of the best brains in the defence and security sector globally, to yield pioneering groundbreaking ideas that would help advance long-term solutions to common security challenges in Africa.
Ambassador V Palmer referred to the global forum as a testament to shared commitment to security, and to the enduring partnerships between the militaries gathered, to which senior leaders of land forces across Africa, the US and partner nations have come together to solidify, exchange information, and advance cooperation.
She further described the conference as an opportunity to discuss optimizing land forces for the emerging security environment, and that it is critical to adapt and strengthen armed forces to confront the evolving threats that seek to undermine and destabilize the West African sub-region.
Speaking to Ghana’s praise, HE Palmer said Ghana is a bastion of security in the face of the spate of VE, because of its inclusive economic development, professionalism of the security forces, commitment to regional intelligence sharing and interoperability, hence chosen to be co-host to the US Army.
“The professionalism of Ghana’s armed forces and your subordination to civilian governance are a model for the rest of Africa and beyond. And they showcase for the world that democracy strengthens stability”, she said.
She said the summit seeks to optimize land forces’ capabilities, to foster interoperability, and to build the crisis response capacities needed to ensure security and stability, since effective security is more than just equipment, but about the soldiers on the ground, whether they be senior military leadership, or the enlisted ranks.
The gathering is also about equipping those soldiers with the training and education to optimally employ equipment and technology to execute their mission, and synchronizing security measures with partners across borders, she concluding.
The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Ghana Army – Major General (Maj Gen) Lawrence Kweku Gbetanu, taking his turn as co-host said, the program for the summit are carefully planned and packaged to ensure strategic deliberations and solutions, networking and collaboration.
He emphasized the need for multinational and joint cooperation in the management of defence and security, which he stressed, has never been more pertinent than it is today.
He added that current developments across the globe, like in Sudan, the Middle East, and Europe, continue to re-emphasize the fact that no country, no matter how powerful, can single-handedly address the issues of security with absolute success.
Accordingly, he concluded, a forum like ALFS ’25, which is also to create the opportunity for benchmarking and learning best practices, is important in assisting to build the requisite collaboration and strategic partnership, which would come in handy on a rainy day.
The Commanding General, US Army, SETAF-AF, based in Vicenza, Italy – Maj Gen Andrew Gainey referred to Ghana as a true friend and a partner of the USA, an anchor of regional stability, and a steadfast contributor to the peacekeeping and security across the continent.
He expressed the USA’s quest in working with African militaries throughout the continent to develop premier multinational and multi-domain training opportunities that help to optimize land forces.
“Together, we coordinate exercises to bring together multiple nations in preparation for regional security and stability operations. These are unmatched opportunities to strengthen our African partners toward operational independence”, he stated.
General Gainey described contemporary threats as having no boundaries, requiring more than just optimized land forces, for which reason ALFS is being used to strengthen deterrence, and to build the relationships needed to eradicate shared threats to collective security.
ALFS has been hosted by the following countries; USA – 2010 & 2022, Uganda – 2012, Senegal – 2015, Tanzania – 2016, Malawi – 2017, Nigeria – 2018, Botswana – 2019, Ethiopia – 2020, Cote d’Ivoire – 2023, Zambia – 2024, and Ghana – 2025.
Participating countries in ALFS ’25 are; Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Carreroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Corroros, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco.
The rest are; Nigeria, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Spain, Tanzania, The Gambia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Uganda, and USA.
Dignitaries included the Chief of the Defence Staff, GAF – Maj Gen William Agyapong, and the Chief of the Air Staff; Ghana Air Force – Air Vice Marshal Eric Agyen-Frempong; Forces Sergeant Major, GAF – Chief Warrant Officer Addo Daniel; and Service Sergeant Major, Army – Master Sergeant Major Yeboah Ansah Isaac.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
