Ghana has signed a defence agreement with the European Union (EU) as Islamist militants continue to wreak havoc in neighbouring countries.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday in Accra by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Ghanaian Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, would strenghten cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism and cybersecurity.
Speaking at the event, Vice President Opoku-Agyemang noted that Ghana is the first African country to make such a deal with the EU,
According to local media reports, Ghana has so far remained largely untouched by militant violence, the surrounding West African region has become a hotbed of activity by affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.
In his remarks at the joint press conference, Ghana’s national security coordinator, Osman Abdul Razak, said that the agreement “signals the EU’s determination to support Ghana’s efforts at tackling emerging threats both at the national and at the regional levels”.
Addressing the news conference, Kallas stated that the EU supports West African countries like Ghana to “counter terrorism, strengthen border security and enhance maritime security”.
The reports added that during the visit to Accra, the EU representatives delivered drones, anti-drone systems, bomb disposal vehicles and motorcycles to the Ghanaian military.
In recent years, al-Qaeda and IS affiliates have gained territory in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. They have also carried out attacks in Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo and Nigeria.
GIK/APA