Gallery contains 4 images
×
Photo 1 of 4
U.S. Army Southern European Task
Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) Army Warrant Officer 1 Mandla Msibi, sergeant major of the UEDF Army, and U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Troy Bradshaw, operations sergeant major, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), discuss noncommissioned officer development at the Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum, part of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025, in Accra, Ghana, April 8, 2025. SELF runs concurrently with ALFS, and features specialized plenary and breakout sessions for senior enlisted leaders across Africa, the U.S. and Europe, dedicated to topics related to developing and leading enlisted soldiers. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by SETAF-AF and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army Photo by Joseph Essandor)
Photo 2 of 4
U.S. Army Southern European Task
Lesotho Army Warrant Officer 1 Khama Moneuoa, Defense Force Sergeant Major, Lesotho Army, participates in a discussion on noncommissioned officer development at the Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum (SELF), part of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025, in Accra, Ghana, April 8, 2025. SELF runs concurrently with ALFS, and features specialized plenary and breakout sessions for senior enlisted leaders across Africa, the US and Europe, dedicated to topics related to developing and leading enlisted soldiers. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army Photo by Joseph Essandor)
Photo 3 of 4
U.S. Army Southern European Task
Nigerian Army Warrant Officer 1 David Menegbe, command sergeant major, Nigerian Army, presents a summarized five-year noncommissioned officer development plan, at a Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum (SELF) plenary session, part of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025, in Accra, Ghana, April 8, 2025. SELF runs concurrently with ALFS, and features specialized plenary and breakout sessions for senior enlisted leaders across Africa, the U.S. and Europe, dedicated to topics related to developing and leading enlisted soldiers. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo by Joseph Essandor)
Photo 4 of 4
U.S. Army Southern European Task
U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Steven Payne, operational protection directorate sergeant major, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), leads a discussion on noncommissioned officer development at the Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum (SELF), part of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025, in Accra, Ghana, April 8, 2025. SELF runs concurrently with ALFS, and features specialized plenary and breakout sessions for senior enlisted leaders across Africa, the US and Europe, dedicated to topics related to developing and leading enlisted soldiers. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by SETAF-AF and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army Photo by Joseph Essandor)
ACCRA, Ghana – Senior enlisted leaders from Africa, Europe and the United States gathered for the Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum (SELF), part of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025, held April 8 and 10 in Accra. SELF runs concurrently with ALFS, and features specialized plenary and breakout sessions for senior enlisted leaders across Africa, the US and Europe, dedicated to topics related to developing and leading enlisted soldiers. Sponsored by the U.S. Army chief of staff and co-hosted by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS brought together senior military leaders from more than 40 countries April 7-10 to address shared security challenges.
SELF provided a platform for senior enlisted leaders to exchange ideas and best practices on noncommissioned officer (NCO) leadership development, professional education and career progression.
“NCOs are the essential foundation of armed forces, functioning as the vital connection between commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. They are accountable for readiness, training and mission execution,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Harness, SETAF-AF command sergeant major.
The forum featured two plenary sessions—one led by SETAF-AF and the other by the Ghana Armed Forces. SETAF-AF’s session focused on developing a five-year NCO development plan for participating militaries, emphasizing training at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.
Ghana’s session explored leadership principles for a successful Army career and the importance of officer and NCO relationships in promoting unit efficiency. Participants discussed the respective duties of officers and NCOs, and how strong officer-NCO partnerships support mission success.
“Noncommissioned officers are the cornerstone of Army readiness, embodying the discipline, competence and leadership required to prepare units for combat,” Harness said. “As the premier warfighters of our formations, they transform doctrine into action, training into capability and intent into mission success.”
SELF fostered collaboration among senior enlisted leaders to improve NCO training across formations, with a focus on building capable, dependable NCOs who take disciplined initiative.
“The idea was to illuminate the challenges with NCO and enlisted development on the African continent and to use the experience of senior African enlisted leaders—as well as U.S. partners—to develop concrete plans,” said Sgt. Maj. Andrew Johnson, security cooperation division sergeant major, SETAF-AF.
The Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum at ALFS 2025 marked a key step toward strengthening NCO capabilities across African militaries through structured development, mentorship and tailored training programs.
“Non-commissioned officer development is very important to our mission,” said Ghana Army Master Warrant Officer Ansah Yeboah, Sgt. Maj. Of the Army, Ghana Armed Forces. “Every time we’ve had an opportunity to do these type of events or train alongside the U.S., it has benefited us greatly.”
