US Embassy Donates 3 Freightliner Trucks to GAF
The United States Embassy in Ghana has donated 3 Freightliner trucks to the Engineer Training School (ETS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The trailer heads, each valued at over $200,000, were donated under the Africa Crisis Response Initiative, bringing the total value of the equipment to over $600,000.
The vehicles are designed to transport heavy machinery, including road graders, backhoes and front-end loaders.
The machinery is expected to directly support a number of major infrastructure projects currently undertaken by the GAF, including construction work on the Accra–Kumasi Expressway, the Burma Camp regeneration projects and Forward Operating Bases.
Speaking at the handing-over ceremony held at the school’s premises on June 4, 2026, the Chargè d’Affaires at the US Embassy, Mr Rolf Olsen, underscored the practical significance of the trucks, noting that the Ghana Armed Forces are already engaged in projects that will shape the nation’s future for generations to come.
Mr Olsen also used the occasion to reaffirm the enduring security partnership between the United States and Ghana, highlighting decades of collaboration spanning joint military exercises, peacekeeping operations and capacity-building programmes.
He recalled Ghana’s deployment of the 48 Engineers Regiment to Jamaica in December 2025, where Ghanaian troops assisted in hurricane recovery efforts, as a defining example of the bilateral cooperation between the 2 nations. He assured the GAF that the United States remained committed to the partnership “for the long haul.”
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Hon Ernest Brogya Genfi, expressed profound gratitude to the United States Government.
He described the donation as timely, noting that the GAF continues to play a critical role not only in safeguarding Ghana’s territorial integrity but also in responding to humanitarian emergencies and supporting peacekeeping operations across the sub-region and beyond.
The vehicles, he said, would significantly enhance the Armed Forces’ capacity to conduct humanitarian relief operations during periods of disaster and national emergency.
The Deputy Defence Minister used the occasion to highlight GAF’s expanding role in national development beyond traditional defence.
He revealed that the government is currently deploying the forces to reclaim and rehabilitate polluted river bodies and is also working in partnership with the Minerals Commission to reclaim hundreds of acres of degraded forest reserves destroyed through illegal mining.
He further noted that the GAF’s engineering expertise has been instrumental in creating the right-of-way for the Kumasi–Accra Expressway project, underscoring the forces’ versatility and contribution to Ghana’s development agenda.
Reaffirming the strength of Ghana–United States bilateral relations, the Deputy Defence Minister expressed appreciation for US support that facilitated the airlift of Ghanaian Engineers to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, enabling them to contribute to reconstruction efforts on the Island.
He called on Officers and Soldiers who would operate the donated trucks to ensure their proper handling, maintenance and effective utilisation, so that the full purpose of the gesture would be realised.
He expressed hope that the cordial relations between the 2 countries would continue to flourish in the years ahead.
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