On July 5, 2012, the U.S. Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Ghana to establish the West Africa Regional Training Center (RTC) in Accra, Ghana. The RTC is part of the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) Program, run by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Office of Knowledge Management, Division of Continuing Education and Training(INL/KM/CET).  In support of the broader U.S. mission, the facility regularly hosts other U.S. training programs.  INL/KM/CET has made the RTC available to USAID, AFRICOM, and INL’s Office of African and Middle East Programs (INL/AME) to deliver trainings.

Mission

The mission of the RTC is to strengthen democratic governance of participant countries world-wide and increase social, political and economic stability by combating transnational organized crime through international cooperation

INL is leading the U.S. Government's efforts to handle international criminal threats, including:

  • Transnational organized crime
  • Corruption
  • Illicit trafficking
  • Money laundering
  • Terrorist financing
  • Cyber and intellectual property crime
  • Border insecurity
  • Wildlife Trafficking
  • Illegal drugs

History

On July 5, 2012, the U.S. Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Ghana to establish the West Africa Regional Training Center (RTC) in Accra, Ghana. In January 2013, the RTC officially opened it’s doors in Accra, Ghana to serve the West Africa region. The RTC is part of the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) Program, run by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Office of Knowledge Management (INL/KM).  In support of the broader U.S. mission, the facility regularly hosts other U.S. training programs from US interagency partners.

Today, the RTC continues to facilitate the delivery of INL/KM-sponsored courses for law enforcement professionals from the ECOWAS countries in an effort to combat transnational organized crime. The RTC program has become a staple resource among local law enforcement with over 5,000 participants across 38 African countries having attended a training at the facility.