The Ghanaian government has received a fleet of 100 armoured vehicles from the European Union (EU) as part of increased border security assistance for coastal West African nations affected by conflicts in the Sahel region.
Ghana, along with Gulf of Guinea neighbours Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast, are facing a growing risk of violence in the Sahel as Islamist insurgents spread their reach across the West African sub-region.
In Accra, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met with Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo and announced 105 armoured vehicles would be delivered to Ghana, along with aerial surveillance equipment and electronic warfare systems.
Borelli said “the spill over of insecurity from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea countries is not a risk anymore. It is sadly a reality. A reality that our partners cannot and should not face alone.”
He said EU investment would also target job creation and services especially in northern Ghana where there are concerns jihadists seek to take advantage of ethnic tensions and economic dissatisfaction to recruit Ghanaian youth.
A statement by the EU said the Ghana aid was part of a broader 616 million euros package to strengthen defence and security of the four coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea.
Ghana has recently been confronted by some violence in areas of its territory bordering Burkina Faso. Gunmen recently killed nine people when they opened fire on a bus in a northern Ghana district close to the Burkinabè border and Togo.
Earlier this year, Ghana sent 1,000 more troops and police to the northern area of Bawku to reinforce security after gunmen killed an immigration officer and wounded two others near the same border area.
Benin’s military also recently announced that they have faced around 20 incursions from across its northern border since 2021. Togo has also suffered attacks on its northern frontier.
