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Ghana Military Profile

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Military branchesGhana Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2021)
Military service age and obligation18-26 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate; no conscription (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP0.4% of GDP (2019)

0.4% of GDP (2018)

0.3% of GDP (2017)

0.3% of GDP (2016)

0.4% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengthsthe Ghana Armed Forces consists of approximately 14,000 active personnel (10,000 Army; 2,000 Navy; 2,000 Air Force) (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitionsthe inventory of the Ghana Armed Forces is a mix of Russian, Chinese, and Western equipment; since 2010, it has received armaments from a variety of suppliers, led by
China, Germany, Russia, and Spain (2020)
Military deployments150 Mali (MINUSMA); 875 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 850 South Sudan (UNMISS) (Jan 2021)

note: Ghana has pledged to maintain about 1,000 military personnel in readiness for UN peacekeeping missions
Maritime threats

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea remain a very high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships; in 2020, there were 98 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea region; although a 24% decrease from the total number of incidents in 2019, it included all three hijackings and 9 of 11 ships fired upon worldwide; while boarding and attempted boarding to steal valuables from ships and crews are the most common types of incidents, almost a third of all incidents involve a hijacking and/or kidnapping; in 2020, a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, representing 95% of kidnappings worldwide; approximately 51% of all incidents of piracy and armed robbery are taking place off Nigeria, which is a decrease from the 71% in 2019 and an indication pirates are traveling further to target vessels; Nigerian pirates are well armed and very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore; the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2021-002 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 9 January 2021, which states in part, "Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom continue to serve as significant threats to US-flagged vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea.”


Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021

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