The High-Speed Vessel 2 Swift Makes Its Second Visit to Lomé

CDR Tolg congratulating a Togolese seaman during the graduation ceremony

The High Speed Vessel 2 Swift arrived in Lomé on August 24 for a five-day visit during which its crew had a series of meetings with the Togolese navy and conducted humanitarian activities. The visit of HSV2 Swift, the second in two years, was organized within the context of the Africa Partnership Station, an initiative of the U.S. Navy to support West and Central African states in building the capacity to manage maritime security and safety. As part of this program, eleven Beninese and Togolese seamen joined the voyage and were trained in boarding techniques and small boat navigation by instructors aboard the Swift. They received their end-of-training certificates onboard the ship in the presence of Ambassador Hawkins on August 25. The training also addressed various issues such as piracy, unlawful fishing, drug and arms trafficking, oil smuggling and illegal immigration.

The Swift  donated two pallets of drugs, medical supplies and various personal hygiene products to the Togolese Red Cross at the Naval Base of Lomé on August 25. The supplies were provided by Project Handclasp, which enables U.S. Navy vessels to transport and deliver humanitarian gifts to countries visited during a voyage. As part of a community relations project the crew of the Swift painted the Ebenezer Medical Center in a neighborhood of Lomé. 

CDR John Tolg is the Mission Commander for the APS program aboard the HSV2 Swift. The Swift, a catamaran, is a minesweeper and troop transport with a helicopter flight deck. Launched in 2003, it is 321-ft (98m) long with a beam of 88.6 ft (27m) and a maximum speed of 45 knots (85km/h). The HSV2 Swift is homeported at Ingleside Naval Station in Texas and its naval contingent originates from the Naval Amphibious Base of Little Creek in Virginia.

David Bohlke Trains English Teachers of Togo

English teachers during a session in Kara

Department of State English Language Specialist, Mr. David Bohlke, led two separate training seminars for high school-level English language teachers in Togo.  Nearly one hundred teachers participated in the seminars which took place in the cities of Kara and Tove.  The events were jointly organized by U.S. Embassy Lome and the Togo Training Office (formerly DIFOP).  Fifty teachers living in northern Togo were invited to participate at SIL Kara from July 19 to 24.  Another fifty participants representing schools in the southern half of Togo were trained at INFA de Tove from July 26 to 31.  Five trainers from the English section of the Togo Training Office and Mr. Bohlke taught participants how to improve English teaching by stimulating learners’ ability to listen, write and communicate orally. The trainers and participants also discussed the practical organization of a classroom and the professional use of the teaching aids by teachers.