Prime Minister Theresa May had a meeting with First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones.

The Chinook Mk 6 synthetic training facility was built following a £53 million contract with Lockheed Martin UK, Rotary and Mission Systems. It is housed at RAF Odiham in Hampshire – home of the Chinook Force, a key component of the Joint Helicopter Command.

The state-of-the-art technology includes two Flight Deck Device simulators, a Rear Crew Device and a suite of Computer Based Training equipment. It will train crews on how to work together in specific flying, emergency and mission capabilities of the Chinook Mk6 aircraft, such as relocating troops and equipment around the battlefield or evacuating citizens from dangerous conditions in national and overseas environments.

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said:

The Chinook Force has continuously proven itself by supporting humanitarian efforts, strengthening counter-terror operations and providing essential support to our Armed Forces. Our ability to put it to use will be bolstered by this multi-million-pound new training facility. Chinooks are the backbone of our battlefield helicopter capability so it’s crucial this capability and its crews are receiving this support into the next decade.

This highly realistic and immersive environment allows aircrew to undertake high risk training operations such as a battlefield re-supply or a medical evacuation in an urban area from the safety of a simulator.

The augmented reality technology will help Chinook crews rehearse missions as a whole-crew synthetic environment for the first time in the 40-year history of the UK Chinook Force. It will also help Chinook pilots refine their aircraft handling skills in a range of emergency scenarios including rotor blade damage, turbulence caused by adjacent aircraft, complex electrical emergencies and fuel management hazards.

The Chinook Mk6 Synthetic Training System will deliver around 4,000 simulator hours each year for a period of ten years ensuring crews are at a permanent state of readiness to deploy.

The Chinook is the UK’s only military heavy lift helicopter and can transport up to 54 troops or 10 tonnes of supplies in support of operations.

While similar to the Mk4 helicopters, the Mk6 have differences to the operating systems, avionics display and the flight control system, which require a new and specific training service.

Director Air Support at Defence Equipment and Support Adrian Baguley said:

DE&S is proud to be providing this new state-of-the-art chinook training facility for the Chinook Force that draws on cutting edge technology, including Augmented Reality, to give the whole of our Chinook crews a new immersive synthetic training capability. This new world-class facility will enable the crews to prepare for missions across the globe.

DFID Ghana Deputy Country Director, Andre Kolln delivered a speech at a signing ceremony for collaborative agreement between FSD Africa and Securities and Exchange Commission Ghana.

I am very pleased to be here at the 20th Anniversary celebrations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Congratulations to the Director General of SEC – Rev. Daniel Tetteh – and Ministry of Finance on the 20th anniversary.

The new partnership between FSD Africa and the SEC which is being signed today is an exciting example of the UK’s new approach to partnerships in emerging markets like Ghana – using our development budget to leverage expertise and knowledge to help transform economies.

As set out by Prime Minister Theresa May in her recent visit to Africa – a driving focus of our development programme will be to ensure that governments in Africa have the knowledge, institutions and support to attract sustainable, long-term investments and encourage private sector growth.

The UK stands ready to support Ghana to achieve its vision of a “Ghana Beyond Aid” and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by helping to remove barriers to inclusive growth, and enabling the government to self-finance its provision of essential services to Ghanaians, ensuring that no-one is left behind. The private sector will be needed to deliver this change, and well-functioning capital markets are essential for supporting companies to get the financing they need.

FSD Africa was established through UK Aid support in 2012, to help eradicate poverty by building inclusive financial markets. They work with governments and industry across countries in Africa to support access to financial services for everyone, help develop capital markets and instruments for investment and economic growth.

This new collaboration with FSD Africa will contribute to building institutional capacity of the SEC, provide support on developing the corporate bond market in Ghana, and advise on strategy development in the SEC and MOF. It will also enable Ghana to connect with capital markets regulators across Africa to share and exchange learning and experience.

Ghana provides an ideal environment for this programme of work to succeed. The Minister of Finance, in the recent Budget, set out his vision for developing Ghana’s capital markets and positioning Ghana as a financial services hub for the region. DFID has been working with the World Bank to support the SEC in the past year. in the development of regulatory guidelines to implement the Securities Industry Act 2016. And the SEC has shown impressive commitment and determination to transform capital markets in Ghana to deliver investment and growth.

The development of capital markets is critical to enable access to sustainable financing for infrastructure and private sector investment, without adding further strain to the public debt burden and finances. This is essential for achieving the President’s vision for a “Ghana Beyond Aid”.

That is why this collaboration between FSD Africa and SEC Ghana is so important, and we look forward to seeing the results it will deliver in the coming year.

A group of veterans who helped excavate 18th century skeletons have won the MOD’s top award for conservation.