Donation of Flatbed Trucks to Ghana Armed Forces Burma Camp

February 1, 2013, at 10 am

Public Affairs Section
Embassy of the United States of America
Accra

Press Attaché, US Embassy Accra
Tel (0302) 741150
Fax (0302) 741692
Email: pressaccra@state.gov
Web:  http://ghana.usembassy.gov/

Your Excellency, Lieutenant General (Ret) Smith
Chief of Defense Staff
Chief of Army Staff
Chief of Air Force Staff
Chief of Navy Staff
Ghana Armed Forces Chief of Staff and friends in the media

It is my pleasure to be here this morning to officially handover 5 Mercedes Benz Atego Flatbed trucks to the Ghana Armed Forces.  The acquisition of these trucks was made possible through the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, program.

The FMF program provides grants and loans to assist foreign nations in purchasing U.S. military equipment, services and training.  Through this program, we help our allies and friends improve their defense capabilities while strengthening our cooperative bilateral military relationships and enhancing interoperability with U.S. forces.

Since the FMF program was introduced in Ghana in 1986, the U.S. Government has granted the Ghana Armed Forces over $10.7 million for purchasing military equipment, services and training.  Ghana has spent these funds on a wide spectrum of items including trucks, helicopter and boat engines, field kitchens, medical equipment and supplies, anti-piracy equipment, and even hardware and software required for an up-to-date computer network.  In addition, the funding has been used to provide training and courses for personnel in all branches of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Each of the 5 trucks being handed over today is valued at $130,000.  In addition to the trucks, FMF is funding spare parts, manuals and training.  Another 3 trucks are in the process of being acquired, which will bring the total value of the current FMF package to just over $1.26 million.  

We were pleased to learn that these vehicles will be used not only in Ghana but also regionally, with some heading soon to Liberia and Mali.  We applaud Ghana’s support for the African-led International Support Mission in Mali and Ghana’s commitment to deploy an engineering company to Mali.

The bilateral defense relationship between the United States and Ghana continues to be strong.  Through our Office of Security Cooperation and programs such as FMF we will continue to work together not only to enhance that relationship but also to address our common objectives including promoting regional stability. 

It is my pleasure to hand over these trucks as a tangible symbol of the strength of the U.S. – Ghana friendship.  Thank you .