Main Planning Conference for the Grand African NEMO Exercise

From June 2 to 4, 2025, representatives of the Yaoundé Architecture, navies, coast guards, and State Action at Sea organizations from the Gulf of Guinea coastal countries, as well as international partners, gathered in Brest to conduct the main planning conference for the major maritime security exercise Grand African NEMO (GANO) 2025, scheduled to take place in the second half of 2025 in the Gulf of Guinea.
Mobilized over three days, the participants analyzed feedback from real operations and developed scenarios for the different phases of the exercise in accordance with the objectives set last March for 2025.
Their meeting concluded Wednesday afternoon with a presentation of the work to the Commander of the Atlantic Zone. The annual Grand African NEMO 25 exercise will thus aim to continue developing regional cooperation in maritime security, with a particular focus on continuing to open the exercise to new partners.
Vice Admiral Jean-François Quérat, Commander of the Maritime Zone and Maritime Prefect of the Atlantic, closed this rich session by emphasizing the essential trust among stakeholders fostered by the conference through multiple discussions on combating IUU fishing and illicit trafficking, as well as marine environmental protection.
The Grand African NEMO (GANO) Major Regional Exercise
GRAND AFRICAN NEMO is an international operational cooperation exercise aimed at contributing to the development and strengthening of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. Co-organized by the Yaoundé Architecture and the French Navy, this major annual regional exercise brings together navies from the Gulf of Guinea coastal nations and allied navies.

From November 4 to 11, 2024, the exercise gathered 26 partner nations. Featuring nearly 70 complex scenarios, it took place over a vast area stretching from Senegal to Angola, involving 55 units at sea, 11 aircraft, and numerous expertise and command centers onshore—totaling more than 4,000 personnel from various administrations working for maritime security in the region.
The Regional Embarked and Digital Training Course (SIREN) of the Embarked Maritime Academy
SIREN is an embarked course aimed at deepening knowledge and skills related to State Action at Sea (AEM), targeting experienced officers from the Gulf of Guinea navies. It is co-organized by the Yaoundé Architecture and the French Navy.
This embarked academy is based on four pillars: theoretical training, practical application through scenario-based exercises, report writing for the benefit of the Yaoundé Architecture, and engagement with all maritime security stakeholders in the Gulf of Guinea.
During this main planning conference for the GANO exercise, details of the 2025 edition of SIREN were unveiled to representatives from the Gulf of Guinea. The training, which will bring together 40 trainees, will run from September 1 to October 16 and will mostly take place aboard the amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA) Tonnerre.
Communications Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic (CECLANT)