• Deal reflects growing security cooperation amid Sahel terrorism threats
• Ghana plays key role in Accra Initiative regional security efforts

The European Union is expected to sign a defence partnership with Ghana within the coming days, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on Monday in Brussels.

"There are many other interested countries knocking at our door," Kallas said, underlining that a growing number of states are seeking to diversify their partnerships in response to an increasingly volatile international environment.

The move comes as Ghana plays an expanding role in regional counter-terrorism efforts across West Africa. The country is a member of the Accra Initiative — alongside Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — a security cooperation mechanism launched in 2017 to prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism from the Sahel into the coastal states of the Gulf of Guinea. The initiative relies on joint military operations, intelligence sharing and the training of security forces.

At the same time, Ghanaian authorities are working to maintain dialogue with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which together form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Established in 2023 as a mutual defence pact, the alliance aims to strengthen military cooperation among countries facing the expansion of armed groups across the region.

"Ghana’s security situation stands out in the region as no jihadist attack has occurred in the country at the time of writing. However, attacks have occurred very close to the Ghanaian border and there is consensus among the interviewees that the situation in Burkina Faso is highly threatening also for Ghana," notes the FOI Studies in African Security titled ‘Prospects for EU-Ghana defence partnership: Local agency and views on security cooperation.’ 

Diversified Partnerships with Europe

Beyond this new security agreement, Ghana already maintains close economic and political ties with several European countries. With the EU, Accra operates under an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) designed to boost trade flows and facilitate access for Ghanaian goods to the European market through reduced tariffs and other trade barriers.

At the bilateral level, several European nations maintain significant relationships with Ghana. Germany, in particular, regards the country as one of its priority partners for development cooperation. Trade between the two countries reached approximately €641 million ($745.5 million) in 2021, with a number of German companies active across the Ghanaian economy.

The former Gold Coast also maintains a security partnership with France, one of its longstanding partners in military training, security cooperation and peacekeeping capacity-building.

Additionally, Accra is home to an International Peacekeeping Training Centre — supported by several international partners, including a number of European states — which trains military personnel and civilians in peace operations and crisis management.

Carelle Yourann