The Commander of the US Naval Force Europe and Africa Admiral Robert Peter Burke has stated that the sense of hospitality in Ghana is beyond imagination.

Speaking at the Opening ceremony of the 2021 Obangame Express in Accra, Admiral Robert Peter Burke explained that his trip to Ghana has been memorable and fun due to the kind welcome he received from the Ghanaian people upon his arrival.

“It is truly an honour to be here today, I want to thank all of you and all the Ghanaian people for the extremely warm welcome and the heartfelt hospitality. This is my first trip to Ghana and your generous hospitality certainly makes visitors feel at home. Feels we are already part of the family,” he said.

However, Admiral Burke also noted that Geneva was set to host last year’s Obangame Express but COVID-19 destructed the preparations hence the much effort put together to organize this year’s Obangame Express in Ghana.

“Geneva was truly set to host the exercise but we all know it wasn’t easy to get to this point today. The COVID-19 pandemic turnarounds has been more than a challenge for all of us in so many ways and we had to cancel all last year’s Obangame exercise as a result. But our teams have worked very hard to bring us together this year to make exercise Obangame Express a reality. I think it is a testament not only to the innovation and the dedication of our people but to the strength of our partnership and of our shared determination to create a more secure world,” he added.

Obangame Express (OE21), the largest multinational maritime exercise in Western Africa, kicked off its tenth year with 32 participating nations at an opening ceremony in Accra, Ghana, March 19, 2021.

However, the 32 nations scheduled to participate in OE21 include Angola, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Republic of Congo, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, Togo, and the United States. Also participating will be the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).