The French Navy, in collaboration with Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F, have held a ceremony to posthumously honour the late Commander Yussif Benning, the first Director of the Centre. During the Ceremony held on Thursday 2 October 2025, at MMCC Zone F, Osu Castle, Accra, the honour was done the late Commander when his name was conferred on the 2025 cohort of the SIREN Course, which will now be known as the COMMANDER YUSSIF BENNING SIREN 2025 COURSE.
The SIREN Programme is an annual course organised under the auspices of CECLANT (French Navy) and comprises officers from various partner African navies and Yaoundé Architecture organizations onboard a French Navy Ship which sails from France to Gulf of Guinea coastal states, while conducting training serials for the participants as well as port calls (which include visits to various organizations and institutions at various stops).
For the 2025 edition of the SIREN Programme, the participants were borne on the French Navy Ship TONNERRE, which called in the port of Tema in Ghana from Sunday 28 September to Saturday 4 October 2025. During this period, the COMMANDER YUSSIF BENNING SIREN 2025 COURSE visited the MMCC Zone F at the Osu Castle, Accra, on Thursday 2 October 2025 to have the name of the Commander conferred on them as a posthumous honour of the late former Director.
Present at the Ceremony were the wife, Mrs Ruwaida Benning, and other relatives of the late Commander. Also present were Commodore Roger Bagoniah, representative of Ghana’s Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS); Captain (Cote d’Ivoire Navy) Noel Oboumou and Captain (Ghana Navy) Ebenezer Yirenkyi, former Directors of MMCC Zone F; Colonel Gregoire Madelin, the French Defence Attaché in Ghana and other staff from the French Embassy; the Captain and some crew from the French Navy Ship TONNERRE; administrators, instructors and participants of the SIREN 2025 Course, as well as staff of the MMCC Zone F.
In a speech read on behalf of the Director MMCC Zone F, glowing tribute was paid to the late Commander as the course participants were admonished to be inspired by the worthy attributes of the late Senior Officer whose name they now bear. Commodore Roger Bagoniah, speaking on behalf of Ghana’s CNS, expressed gratitude to the French Navy for the honour done the late Commander and also advised participants to be guided by the exemplary life of the late Commander Benning. The wife and family of the late Commander were also grateful go the MMCC Zone F and French Navy for honouring their husband, father and kinsman with the Ceremony.
Story by Lt Cdr Edem Komla Akati
Deputy Director and Acting Operations Officer MMCC Zone F