The EU and Ghana have signed a new Security and Defence Partnership during a visit to Ghana by the EU’s High Representative Kaja Kallas.
Kallas made the announcement at a joint press conference with Ghana’s Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang in Ghana on Monday, the European External Action Service reported on Tuesday.
The agreement is the first Security and Defence Partnership of its kind between the EU and an African country.
It will allow the EU and Ghana to work more closely on areas including counter-terrorism, conflict prevention and cyber security, according to Kallas’s remarks released by the EEAS.
The EU is also due to hand over military equipment to Ghana, including surveillance drones and anti-drone guns, as well as motorcycles.
The equipment forms part of a €50 million package delivered to Ghana since 2023.
Equipment delivery and regional security
Kallas said the EU supports Ghana’s military in the northern part of the country and “beyond”, and also supports West African countries in the Gulf of Guinea on counter-terrorism, border security and maritime security.
In her remarks, Kallas also referred to wars and instability affecting Europe and Africa, including Ukraine, Sudan, the Sahel and the Middle East.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has consequences felt outside Europe, including in Ghana, she said, adding that Russia’s recruitment of African nationals “preys on economic hardship.”
Kallas also referred to the EU’s Global Gateway initiative in Ghana — an EU programme for investment in areas such as infrastructure and health — citing work including a vaccine centre and pharmaceutical hub.
She added she looked forward to working with Ghana ahead of its planned chairmanship of the African Union next year.
