The UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey has described Ghana as a key partner.
According to him, the UK see Ghana as a key partner since they work together in addressing challenges from violent extremism in the Sahel to maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
He disclosed this when the British High Commission in Accra donated eight ambulances to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) as part of its annual Security Dialogue.
He added that the UK continues to work closely with the Ghana Armed Forces to support Ghana’s leadership position in the sub-region and to strengthen the capability of Ghanaian security services to take the lead in responding to instability in the region, particularly those related to that of violent extremists emanating from the Sahel.
The donation forms part of the bilateral collaboration and commitment to strengthening the UK-Ghana security partnership.
The eight ambulances to the Ghana Armed Forces will improve medical outreach in the Northern border regions.
It will specifically help improve medical services delivery in the five northern regions of Ghana, North East, Northern, Savanna, Upper East and Upper West.
James Heappey in his speech said, “Ghana is a key partner for the UK, we work together to tackle shared challenges from violent extremism in the Sahel to maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and this donation underscores the strong partnership between the UK and Ghana”.
“We are proud to contribute to Ghana Armed Force’s capacity to protect and serve its civilians in the 5 Northern regions to counter violent extremism, and we will continue to foster long-lasting partnerships through our annual security dialogue”.
The official handover ceremony took place at the Burma Camp in Accra last week.
The event brought together the UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama from the Ghana Armed Forces, British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, representatives from the UK government and representatives from the Ghana Armed Forces, showcasing a collaborative effort to bolster peace and security in the Northern regions.
The ambulances provided are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to aid the Ghana Armed Forces in their medical outreaches in the five Northern regions as part of the UK-Ghana Civilian Military Cooperation Programme.
They would be distributed in the Wa, Bolgatanga, Sandema Mechanical Brigade Headquarters and the Armoured Regimental Headquarters in Damango respectively.
For his part Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama expressed Ghana’s profound gratitude to the UK government for the kind gesture and assured of making good use of the vehicles.
According to him, the ambulances will help boost the effort of the Ghana Armed Forces in embarking on counter-terrorism operations that threaten Ghana from the Northern region.
By: Rainbowrdioonline.com.Ghana
