Image intelligence training concludes in Ghana

• Spanish military personnel have provided members of the Ghanaian Navy with basic training in this discipline, as part of the European Union’s cooperation with the countries of the Gulf of Guinea

Spanish military personnel have delivered a specialised training course in image intelligence to members of the Ghanaian Navy in the city of Accra, as part of the European Union Security and Defence Initiative for the Gulf of Guinea (EU SDI GoG).

At the Burma Camp facilities, the headquarters of the Ghanaian Armed Forces and the country’s Ministry of Defence, the Spanish team of instructors (Mobile Training Team/MTT) —comprising Staff Sergeant Carlos Alberto Moreno Mujica and Private Borja Alonso Torres— has shared their knowledge and experience in imagery intelligence (IMINT) with 14 members of the Ghanaian Navy. This training activity aims to provide the Ghanaian Armed Forces with analysts specialised in this field.

In the team’s own words, “this experience benefits both sides, enabling the exchange of expertise and continuous improvement. This IMINT training will be of great importance to the Ghanaian Navy. Ghana is a country whose people radiate warmth and kindness, and it has been an honour to be able to contribute to peace and security in this country”.

This training initiative demonstrates the commitment of the members of the Spanish Army, and of the Spanish Armed Forces as a whole, to international cooperation missions and to strengthening defence capabilities in West Africa, thereby contributing directly to regional security and stability in the Gulf of Guinea.

Spain in the EU SDI GoG

Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Decision 2023/1599 established this European military cooperation initiative in Africa, which had the explicit support of Spain. Its main objective is to collaborate in the development of armed forces capable of containing and responding to the pressure exerted by armed terrorist groups in the West African countries where this cooperation is established: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin.

Since October 2024, and following a planning process at European level, Spain has participated actively and in person in the EU SDI GoG. To date, Spanish military personnel have delivered several courses in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. In terms of content, these have focused on the identification of military equipment from various armies around the world, the production of various IMINT reports and the ability to conduct intelligence assessments, always in line with the interests of the armed forces of the African countries involved.