She was speaking on Monday at a cocktail held in Tema Harbour, in honour of Brazilian Navy’s Guinex V Defender, a frigate-class warship, which was its second visit to Gha­na as part of efforts to strengthen Maritime security between Ghana and Brazil.

She said through exercises such as Guinex V, Ghana and Brazil Navies could collaborate to tackle challenges such as piracy, illicit trafficking, and illegal fishing.

The Brazilian envoy noted that the exchange of experiences and knowledge were powerful instru­ments for strengthening mutual trust and for developing joint and innovative solutions.

In the field of defense, Mrs Ma­deira stated that the West African coast was part of the Brazilian strategic environment, as provided for in its National Defense Policy.

She said Brazil recognized the vital importance of this region for the security and prosperity of the countries bordering the South Atlantic.

She stated that the Brazilian Navy, GUINEX V represented a unique opportunity to strengthen operational capabilities, implement the exchange of knowledge and experiences and, above all, deepen ties of friendship with sister navies in West Africa, namely with Cape Verde, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ni­geria, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Cameroon.

Mrs Madeira said the choice of Ghana as one of the docking ports had proven very successful and that it was the Brazilian govern­ment’s desire that Ghana would be a constant presence in future editions of GUINEX, further consolidating cooperation between the two navies.

She said Brazil, which is known to be the most African country outside Africa, gave special priority to the African continent, at a par­ticularly dynamic moment in the relations between the two sides of the Atlantic.

Mrs Madeira said that she was optimistic that the presence of the Frigate Defensora in Ghana, in the context of GUINEX V, would “serve to renew our commitment to peace, security, and sustainable development.”

“May the Atlantic continue to unite us, inspiring new partner­ships and cementing friendship between our peoples. And may we sail together, in calm seas and with favorable winds, towards a future of prosperity and lasting coopera­tion. Thank you very much,” Mrs Madeira added.

For his part, the Commander of the GUINEX V Task Group, Rear Admiral Antonio Braz, said his team was committed to sharing expertise and international best practices with its Ghanaian coun­terparts.

He said there was the need to beef up maritime security to facili­tate trade on the Atlantic Ocean.

Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, proposed the training of Ghanaian Naval Cadet in Brazil.

He acknowledged that language remained a barrier for Ghanaian trainees but said Ghana Navy currently had four of its officers pursuing a four-year course in Germany.