The Spanish offshore patrol vessel ESPS ‘Audaz’, led by its commander, Lieutenant-General Francisco Braco Carbó, has paid a working visit to the country.
The main goals of the visit were to strengthen cooperation ties between Ghana and Spain and to promote maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
The patrol vessel stopped at the port of Tema on March 6, 2023, where it carried out military activities with the Ghanaian Armed Forces for six days.
The military cooperation activities aimed at improving Ghana’s capacities in fighting terrorism, piracy and other maritime-related crimes.
In addition, the warship participated in the ‘Flintlock-23’ exercise, supporting a Force of Special Operations located on land.
The visit also allowed Lieutenant-General Francisco Braco Carbó to oversee the military activities of the Spanish forces and to establish an agenda of high-level meetings.
Accompanied by Vice Admiral, Alfonso Delgado and Brigadier-General Ángel Herrezuelo, they visited the Spanish units to carry out an agenda of high-level meetings with local authorities.
During their stay, the Lieutenant-General held meetings with the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul; Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, Chief of the Defence Staff; Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu, Chief of Naval Staff; and General Francis Adu Amanfoh, Special Presidential Advisor for the Accra Initiative.
The delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador of Spain in Ghana, H.E. Javier Gutiérrez, who stated that: “The visit of the Armada Warship Audaz and of the Commander of the Operations Command of the Spanish Armed Forces are a testimony to the priority Spain attaches to Ghana and the security in the region”.
Audaz’s operations in Ghana fall within the scope of ‘Foco África 2023’ and ‘Plan Africa’, two strategies of the Spanish Government which consider the country a priority of Spain’s foreign policy.
The cutting-edge equipment of the vessel, together with the high-level skills of the Spanish soldiers, were shared with the Ghanaian authorities, who learned about the use of unmanned vehicles – such as drones, medical services, or various defence mechanisms.
