Ghana's SBS graduates first locally trained personnel

Ghanaian SBS personnel put on a demonstration during the graduation at NATRAC. (Embassy of Denmark in Ghana)

The first Ghanaian Special Boat Squadron (SBS) operatives to be trained locally instead of in Nigeria have completed their training at the Naval Training Command (NATRAC) in Nutekpor.

Their graduation ceremony appears to have been held on 16 September, with the Ghanaian media reporting that the eight SBS operatives whopassed out were trained with the help of the US and Danish governments to counter complex maritime threats.

The embassy of Denmark in Ghana reported that the new Ghanian SBS personnel were trained for six months by its Frogman Corps, which is part of the Danish Special Operations Command. “This initiative is part of our collective efforts to fighting piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea,” it said.

The Ghana Navy websites says that the SBS was established in 2016 to counter piracy, robbery at sea, and terrorism; board and search vessels; and conduct combat search and rescue.

The Ghana News Agency reported that the SBS was previously trained with the help of the Nigerian military, which has its own SBS, but new facilities have been built at NATRAC, which was opened on the east bank of the Volga river in October 2020.