Ghana has taken a major step in enhancing its national and regional security through a new Security and Defence Partnership with the European Union, making it the first African country to formalize such an agreement.
The signing coincided with the handover of critical security equipment, including communication systems, motorcycles, drones, and militarized vehicles, aimed at boosting Ghana’s operational readiness.
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang emphasized the importance of security as a foundation for development, citing rising instability in West Africa.
“Complex security threats and risks continue to emerge and evolve across West Africa. The recent tragic incidents involving Ghanaian traders who lost their lives in Burkina Faso serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of insecurity,” she said.
Highlighting Ghana’s collaboration with the EU and other international partners, she noted, “The United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Norway and others have signed this partnership with the EU and Ghana is the first African country to join them. This demonstrates the strengthening collaboration between Ghana and the European Union in tackling evolving security challenges, especially in our sub-region and across the Sahel.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang explained that the new framework would enhance the country’s crisis response, operational capacity, and regional cooperation.
She also acknowledged previous EU support, including militarized vehicles provided through the European Peace Facility in 2023 and communication equipment received in 2025, which have been instrumental in improving situational awareness and intelligence gathering.
“We acknowledge the militarised vehicles provided to the Ghana Armed Forces in 2023… The communication and intelligence-gathering equipment Ghana received in 2025 has also proven important to the country’s situational awareness and operational coordination countering emerging threats to our national security,” she added.
The initiative forms part of broader EU efforts to strengthen security across West Africa, including projects on counter-terrorism, border management, maritime security, cyber defense, and capacity building for military and civilian security actors.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
