Between 1958 and 1961, Britain not only satisfied all Ghana's military requirements but also allowed British military personnel to serve in various command positions in the Ghanaian armed forces. By the end of 1961, the British had trained forty-three Ghanaian army cadets at Sandhurst and thirty-four at the British Officer Cadet School, Eaton Hall.
Although it initially had opposed the formation of a Ghanaian air force and navy, Britain eventually agreed to help train personnel from these services. In 1960 the British instituted an air force training and supply program on condition that the Indian and Israeli advisers who had established the air force were withdrawn. Additionally, between 1960 and 1963, Britain supplied twelve Chipmunk trainers, three Heron transports, and nine Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters.
The Ghanaian navy also benefited from British training. Each year from 1960 to 1966, four or five Ghanaian naval cadets attended the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. By early 1967, eighty-seven Ghanaian naval officers and 740 enlisted personnel were serving in British home bases or were receiving training with the Royal Navy. There also were twenty-seven officers and forty senior enlisted personnel from the Royal Navy in Ghanaian command and training positions.
In April 1962, Accra allowed Britain to consolidate its military presence in Ghana by creating the Joint Services Training Team (JSTT). This organization, which was composed of officers and ranks from the three services under the command of a brigadier, began its work with a total personnel strength of 248 officers and men. The JSTT provided training and advisory support; some British officers also assumed command positions in the Ghanaian air force and navy. There were no British commanders in the army. The JSTT continued to function until 1971, when Ghana terminated its training agreement with Britain.
Even after Accra diversified its sources of foreign military assistance and Africanized the armed forces, however, Britain continued to be active in Ghana. In 1974-75 the Vosper Thornycroft shipyard refitted a corvette warship under a US$2.5 million contract. In 1978 Fairey Marine provided a Spear MK 2 Class coastal patrol boat to the Ghanaian navy. In March 1984, the British firm Plessy reported that it had arranged to furnish Ghana with equipment for air traffic control. The British also received an August 1985 contract for about US$75,000 worth of electronics equipment. A few years later, Britain agreed to refurbish four Skyvan military and VIP transports; by mid-1991, the British had completed work on two of these aircraft and delivered them to Ghana. A limited number of British military personnel also participated in joint exercises with the Ghanaian armed forces.
Data as of November 1994