ÉñÂíÎçÒ¹¸£ÀûÍø

The rapid evolution of autonomous and remotely operated systems (AROS) has opened new opportunities for Member States to strengthen their counter-terrorism efforts, including border management and law enforcement capacities, while also introducing new vulnerabilities that terrorists seek to exploit. Recognizing this dual nature, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through its Global Counter-Terrorism Programme on Autonomous and Remotely Operated Systems (AROS Programme), is piloting a new model of tailored, country-level support to help Member States harness these new technologies.

Since December 2025, UNOCT has been working with Ghana to identify priorities and capacity gaps. From 9 February to 6 March 2026, the UNOCT Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operator Training Course brought together in Accra 27 participants representing eight national security-mandated entities. Made possible through the generous support of the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (China), the four-week course aimed to strengthen the safe, lawful and effective use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in support of counter-terrorism, national security, law enforcement and border management operations.

Developing Skills for Unmanned Operations in Three Steps

The operator course included three consecutive stages.

1. Participants developed core operator skills, including flight proficiency, mission execution, and aeronautical decision-making, enabling them to apply sound judgment, safety checks, and disciplined operating practices. The training began with close-proximity maneuver control, allowing operators to master fundamental flight skills before advancing to complex missions.
2. Participants explored how UAS capabilities can support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks and operational planning within their institutional mandates. They examined the operating environment of UAS missions, including safety procedures, meteorological considerations, human factors and platform-specific operational limitations. For example, as part of the operational scenarios, Ghanaian security officials conduct an infrared-assisted reconnaissance mission.
3. Participants were also introduced to the fundamentals of aviation and airspace management through the lens of national manned and unmanned aviation law and the broader International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) framework, providing an operational understanding of where and how UAS can be used responsibly and lawfully. The course also introduced maritime UAS operations and the basic use of unmanned underwater systems (UUS), including a practical demonstration at Tema Harbor.

Participants built foundational knowledge of UAS hardware, systems configuration and flight control across various platforms, before advancing to sensors and payloads, regulation and governance, and operational skills including navigation, aeronautical decision-making and meteorology.

Dedicated modules addressed maintenance, data security and specialized domains such as night flight, maritime operations and imagery analysis. The curriculum concluded with a focus on emerging threat landscapes, including counter-UAS technologies and UUS, before a final consolidation and assessment session.

Evaluation and certification

At the end of the training, each participant completed a final examination consisting of both a theoretical and a practical test. The practical assessment required participants to complete a tactical mission scenario, demonstrating their ability to plan and execute a flight safely and effectively.

Following the assessments, 22 participants qualified as UAS Operators, while five qualified as Assistant UAS Operators. The graduates will contribute to strengthening institutional competencies related to unmanned systems within their respective entities, supporting nationally owned and replicable capacity development for the advancement of counter-terrorism, border protection, law enforcement, maritime security and other domains.

The training was attended by observers from Portugal, the United States of America, Germany and the United Kingdom, reflecting their interest to potentially support development of national capacities for the responsible use of unmanned aircraft systems.

The Way Forward

Building on the results of the UAS Operator Training Course, the AROS Programme will continue its engagement with Ghana through additional specialized training activities delivered in response to national requests and identified needs, including specialized thematic courses and mentorship. The following activities are scheduled to be delivered before the end of 2026, with the support of the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (China):

• A Training-of-Trainers course for the top graduates will enable national institutions to further expand their operational capacity, developing a cadre of qualified national instructors able to independently deliver UAS training at the national level.
• A course on countering UAS threats will enhance awareness of UAS threats, detection and mitigation approaches, as well as applicable legal and policy frameworks among operational and technical personnel.
• National Consultations on UAS Threats will be held, in collaboration with ICAO and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), to assess capabilities and gaps related addressing terrorism-related UAS misuse. They will also inform a future National roadmap in alignment with ICAO standards and the UN Security Council's Abu Dhabi Guiding Principles.
• A UAS imagery analysis course will strengthen the capacity of certified operators and analysts to interpret UAS-derived imagery in support of operational decision-making.

Kenya will be the next Member State to receive support, while engagement with Ghana continues.