Empty tents, UN container homes, and incomplete utility connections are all that remain at the military headquarters site in the Nyohani suburb of Tamale, Northern Region, where the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) was expected to be headquartered.
The multi-million dollar facility, which was intended to serve as a strategic base for the ECOWAS regional security force, has been left abandoned following the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the ECOWAS.
Their exit from the regional bloc disrupted plans for the brigade and stalled progress on the project.
The Nyohani facility was intended to be a vital military and logistics hub for the ESF, the regional brigade of the broader African Standby Force (ASF), mandated to intervene in times of crisis.
The depot’s purpose was to ensure the rapid provision of equipment, supplies, and sustainment for troops deploying for peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and conflict resolution missions across West Africa.
The sprawling facility, once touted as a cornerstone of West African peace and security infrastructure, now stands deserted—a costly monument to regional bureaucracy and stalled funding.
The abandonment of the project comes at a critical time when the ECOWAS Standby Force is facing an urgent need for swift operational deployment to counter spreading terrorism and political instability across the sub-region, as recently demonstrated by the deployment of troops to Benin.
However, a visit to the Nyohani site by JoyNews reveals uncompleted structures, overgrown grounds, and significant security infrastructure left to decay.
The situation in Nyohani mirrors previous difficulties encountered by ECOWAS in establishing its logistical backbone.
ECOWAS documents from earlier years reveal significant financial constraints and poor cash flow at the ECOWAS Commission hindered the completion of the primary logistics depot designated for Lungi, Sierra Leone.
The abandonment of the facility is a glaring contradiction to the huge financial figures being discussed for the ESF’s operational budget:
- Current Need: ECOWAS has acknowledged the urgent necessity of activating its kinetic standby force to combat transnational crime and violent extremism, which is now spilling from the Sahel into coastal states.
- Funding Proposals: Recent meetings of ECOWAS Ministers of Defence and Finance have discussed a substantial budget of $2.61 billion annually for a full 5,000-strong brigade, or an alternative, smaller 1,650-person brigade at an estimated annual cost of around $481.5 million.
- Deployment Status: Despite the Nyohani project being stalled, the ESF has already seen deployment in Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia and recently mobilised troops from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana for the mission in Benin.
The existence of a seemingly finished, yet unused, asset in Ghana—an area crucial for security logistics—raises serious questions about the political will and resource allocation efficiency within the regional bloc.
The situation contributes to the wider national challenge where abandoned government projects are estimated to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer millions annually.
The deserted Nyohani site represents not just a financial loss, but a critical lapse in logistical preparedness at a time when regional stability depends on rapid and sustained military response.
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