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The annual French Navy-led and Yaounde Architecture-executed multinational maritime exercice, Exercise GRAND AFRICAN NEMO (GANO) has commenced today 10 November 2025. The commencement of the 2025 edition of the Exercice, GANO 2025,  in maritime Zone F was marked by a colourful opening ceremony held at the offices of the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre, Zone F. The Ceremony was well attended by Maritime stakeholders across the Zone F enclave including Ambassadors (or their representatives), Heads of various maritime stakeholder institutions, Former Directors of the Centre and Defence Attaches. Remarks were made to underscore the importance of the Exercise to enhancing maritime safety and security within the Zone F maritime space as well as the larger Gulf of Guinea domain. The welcome remarks were delivered by the Director MMCC Zone F, Captain (Navy) Daniel Ehu. This was followed by remarks by the French Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Diarra Dimé Labille, as well as remarks by the Cdre Stephen Billins Nyam of the Ghana Navy Headquarters, representing the Chief of the Naval Staff, Ghana, as Guest of Honour for the Ceremony. Various scenarios were conducted by the members states and coordinated by MMCC Zone F, over the period of the Exercise (Monday 10 – Saturday 15 November 2025).

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Lt Cdr Edem Komla Akati (Deputy Director MMCC Zone F)

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LS Gakpo Ephraim 

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MMCC Zone F hosted the Operation ANOUANZE 3  Debriefing Conference at the Cdr Yussif Benning Conference Hall of MMCC Zone F.  The Conference, which was held on Tuesday 3 November 2025, brought together nominated representatives from each of the 5  Zone F coastal member states as well as CRESMAO and MMCC Zone F, to carry out an after-action review of the 2025 edition of Zonal Patrol Operation, Operation ANOUANZE 3. At a brief opening ceremony held ahead of the main discussions, Director MMCC Zone F, Captain (Navy) Daniel Gnamien Ehu, lauded the participants for being nominated to represent their various entities. He further admonished the participants to keenly discuss the issues and come up with key recommendations that would enhance the conduct of future editions of the Operation.

Operation ANOUANZE is the annual multinational maritime patrol operation undertaken by navies and coast guard of maritime Zone F member states (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), under the auspices of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conduct of Joint Patrols in Zone F. The first 2 editions of the Operation (ANOUANZE 1 and ANOUANZE 2) were conducted in August 2021 (Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire only) and August 2024 (all 5 coastal member states) respectively, with the 2025 edition seeing a vast improvement, both in terms of organisation and conduct. It is hoped that the 2026 edition, tentatively scheduled to be held in August 2026 will be bigger and better than the previous 3 editions.

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Lt Cdr Edem Komla Akati (Deputy Director MMCC Zone F)

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LS Gakpo Ephraim 

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The discussions centred mainly on improving collaboration and cooperation between MMCC Zone F and GOGMI in the fields of information sharing and analysis, training and conduct of exchange activities all aimed at enhancing maritime safety and security in the Zone F domain, as well as the larger Gulf of Guinea area.

Both parties committed to deepening the already existing cordial relationship to enhance collaboration. The Deputy Director MMCC Zone F, Lt Cdr Edem Akati  was also present at the meeting.

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 Lt Cdr Edem Komla Akati

Deputy Director MMCC Zone F

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 Leading Seaman Gakpo Ephraim

Watchkeeper

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In his submissions, Dr Adu Agyekum highlighted the long standing relationship between MMCC Zone F, and GMES and Africa. He emphasised that this relationship has led to the conduct of various training activities for staff of MMCC Zone F in fields such as IUUF as well as Environmental Safety (Oil Spillage) Monitoring. This, he mentioned, was done through software tools developed by his team under the MarCNoWA Project, for which he envisages greater collaboration and cooperation with MMCC Zone F in the future.

On his part, Captain (Navy) Ehu, expressed the Centre’s appreciation to Dr Adu Agyekum for the visit. He further thanked Dr Adu Agyekum and his team at MarCNoWA for the continued collaboration and cooperation with MMCC Zone F, emphasizing the need for more of such collaborative activities for the mutual benefit of both entities, as well as enhanced maritime safety and security. Also present at the meeting was Lieutenant Commander Edem Komla Akati, Deputy Director MMCC Zone F.

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Lt Cdr Edem Komla Akati

Deputy Director MMCC Zone F

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Leading Seaman Ekal Godwin

Watchkeeper

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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

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Participants were drawn from various organisations within the ECOWAS region spanning maritime sector governance and administration, defence and security, shipping and fishing sectors, academia and other stakeholder institutions. The Guest of Honour for the Seminar was the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tom Norring. Also in attendance as a special delegate was, Honourable Dr Zenator Agyeman-Rawlings, the Member of Parliament for Korley-Klottey Constituency (the host constituency of the Centre). Additionally, the Directors of CRESMAO and MMCCs Zones E and G were in attendance as special delegates.

Presentations were delivered by distinguished speakers during the Seminar. Commander Philip Odoi Narh of the Ghana Navy delivered a presentation on ‘The Critical Connection between Maritime Domain Awareness to Enhanced Piracy Surveillance Capabilities from Coast to Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)’. Admiral Boniface Konan, a former Director of CRESMAO, shed light on ‘The Current Operational and Coordination Challenges confronting Anti-Piracy Operations’. Mrs. Frances Mullen Ansah, a Chief State Attorney at the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General Department, delved into ‘The Complex Legal Responses to Piracy’, highlighting both limitations and possibilities. Naval Captain Solomon Adagogo Jaja of CRESMAO spoke on ‘The Potential Linkage between IUU Fishing and other Illegal Activities at Sea’. Mr. Richard Yeboah, a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development discussed ‘The Importance of Inter-Agency Cooperation for the Detection and Reporting of IUU Fishing Incidents’. Dr. Amadou Tall, a senior fisheries expert at the Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted ‘The Significance of Policy Formulation to Protecting Fisheries Resources’. Additionally, Dr. Kwame Adu Agyekum from the University of Ghana presented on ‘The Utilization of Geospatial Tools for Monitoring Fishing Vessels as a Means to Curb IUU Fishing Activities’. Attached are images from the Seminar.

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