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MARFOREUR/AF Commander, Ghanian Navy Commodore discuss maritime security at AMFS 2026

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, left, receives a gift from Ghana Navy Commodore Samuel Ayelazono, right, in Rabat, Morocco, July 19, 2026. Shipley and Ayelazono met during African Maritime Forces Summit 2026 to build their relationship and discuss the complexities of maritime security. Co-hosted by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, AMFS 2026 brings together international partners to address shared security challenges under the theme "Innovation and Partnership to Strengthen Maritime Security." (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Garrett Gillespie)

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Photo by: Cpl. Garrett Gillespie 

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MARFOREUR/AF Commander, Ghanian Navy Commodore discuss maritime security at AMFS 2026

Ghana Navy Commodore Samuel Ayelazono, left, speaks with U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, right, in Rabat, Morocco, July 21, 2026. Shipley and Ayelazono met during African Maritime Forces Summit 2026 to build their relationship and discuss the complexities of maritime security. Co-hosted by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, AMFS 2026 brings together international partners to address shared security challenges under the theme "Innovation and Partnership to Strengthen Maritime Security." (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Garrett Gillespie)

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Photo by: Cpl. Garrett Gillespie 

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MARFOREUR/AF Commander, Ghanian Navy Commodore discuss maritime security at AMFS 2026

Key leaders from the Ghana Navy, left, and key leaders with U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, right, sit together in Rabat, Morocco, July 21, 2026. The leaders met during African Maritime Forces Summit 2026 to build their relationship and discuss the complexities of maritime security. Co-hosted by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, AMFS 2026 brings together international partners to address shared security challenges under the theme "Innovation and Partnership to Strengthen Maritime Security." (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Garrett Gillespie)

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Photo by: Cpl. Garrett Gillespie 

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MARFOREUR/AF Commander, Ghanian Navy Commodore discuss maritime security at AMFS 2026

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, left, greets Ghana Navy Commodore Samuel Ayelazono, right, in Rabat, Morocco, July 21, 2026. Shipley and Ayelazono met during African Maritime Forces Summit 2026 to build their relationship and discuss the complexities of maritime security. Co-hosted by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa, AMFS 2026 brings together international partners to address shared security challenges under the theme "Innovation and Partnership to Strengthen Maritime Security." (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Garrett Gillespie)

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Photo by: Cpl. Garrett Gillespie 

RABAT, Morocco — U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa joined Ghanaian maritime leaders during the African Maritime Forces Summit 2026 to build on security cooperation and discuss shared priorities in West African coastal defense.

Ghana’s coastline faces the Gulf of Guinea, a region central to African and global commerce and challenged by piracy, illicit trafficking, illegal fishing, maritime crime and other transnational threats. The engagement focused on how maritime forces, information sharing and regional coordination help protect shipping lanes, fisheries and coastal communities.

AMFS 2026 brought African maritime leaders and international partners together to examine national, regional and technological approaches to maritime security. For Ghana, those conversations align with its broader role as a capable maritime partner in West Africa and a contributor to regional security efforts.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa and Ghanaian partners have continued to strengthen cooperation through bilateral engagements, multinational exercises and professional exchanges. Those efforts support the ability of Ghanaian maritime forces, including specialized units such as the Ghanaian Special Boat Squadron, to respond to threats in the maritime domain and contribute to broader regional stability.

Leaders also discussed the importance of operationally capable partners who can lead security efforts in their own waters and work with neighbors when threats move across boundaries. In the Gulf of Guinea, that cooperation is essential because criminal networks and maritime threats rarely stop at a single coastline.

“Ghana is a capable maritime partner whose leadership in the Gulf of Guinea strengthens security beyond its own coastline. Our cooperation is focused on the readiness, relationships and regional coordination partners need to protect their waters and respond to shared threats,” said Maj. Gen. Daniel L. Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa.

As AMFS 2026 continued, Ghana’s participation reinforced the value of sustained partnership, professional maritime forces and African leadership in securing the maritime economy. The engagement helped strengthen relationships that can support continued cooperation long after the summit ends.

The United States is proud of its decades-long partnership with Ghana, rooted in shared democratic values and a commitment to benefit the American and Ghanaian people.