German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; and President Mahama of Ghana
Accra, Ghana//-President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to establish a new regional security platform that will bring together Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to strengthen cooperation in the fight against violent extremism.
Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is in Ghana on a three-day state visit, President Mahama said Ghana is leading efforts to create a broader coalition beyond the Accra Initiative, which currently excludes the three Sahelian nations.
“Continuous dialogue and engagement are needed to resolve some of the mutual challenges we face,” President Mahama said.
“The Accra Initiative was set up as a platform for joint fights against violent extremism in the West African sub-region. Unfortunately, the AES states are not participating in it, and so what I’ve been engaged with is seeking a new platform that can bring them on board.”
He stressed that the fight against terrorism should not be left to Sahelian countries alone.
“The fight is not theirs alone; it is a sub-regional fight because violent extremism is like a cancer it continues to grow and spread,” he warned.
President Mahama revealed that he had recently travelled to Mali to hold discussions on establishing this new framework to promote cooperation and ensure the international community supports a unified regional response.
“We are currently discussing the creation of a joint platform where we can collaborate to help them and the international community can assist in the fight against violent extremism,” he explained.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier commended Ghana’s leadership in regional security and pledged his country’s continued support to promote stability and development in the Sahel.
“Allow me to underline the role Ghana plays in regional cooperation in West Africa,” the German President said. “I expressly welcome the fact that you, President Mahama, have assumed responsibility for regional cooperation and integration. We both agree that cross-border challenges like terrorism, transnational organised crime, and climate change require cross-border responses.”
He added that Germany, together with the European Union, is supporting Ghana’s efforts to create long-term stability, especially in northern border regions affected by terrorism and insecurity.
“Germany, together with the European Union, is supporting efforts of the Ghanaian government that aim at creating long-term stability and development,” he said. “We are also cooperating closely with Ghana and ECOWAS to address these common challenges.”
President Steinmeier also brought encouraging news for Ghana’s economy, announcing that Germany will commit over €65 million in new development aid, pending parliamentary approval.
“Ghana and Germany have been linked by a long-standing partnership reaching back to independence,” he said. “We are also celebrating 50 years of development cooperation, and I’m happy to announce that, subject to approval by the Bundestag, Germany will again commit more than €65 million to Ghana in development cooperation, equivalent to over GH₵823 million.”
President Mahama, in turn, praised Germany’s consistent partnership and expressed Ghana’s concern over the growing trend of protectionism and the erosion of multilateral institutions.
“Ghana is deeply concerned about recent actions that jeopardise the rule-based international order, especially the global trade system that has supported decades of prosperity,” he said.
“I invite Germany to share Ghana’s strong commitment to multilateralism, the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, and international law. The challenges of our era, climate change, pandemics, terrorism, migration, and poverty, cannot be tackled by any one nation alone.”
He also renewed Ghana’s longstanding call for Africa to be given a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, describing the current arrangement as a “historical injustice.”
“Ghana continues its legitimate demand for Africa’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council,” President Mahama said.
“Africa, with 54 countries and over 1.4 billion people, remains the only inhabited continent without permanent representation on the world’s most influential decision-making body. This historical injustice must be corrected.”
He commended Germany’s consistent support for UN Security Council reform and called on the global community to turn words into action.
“Ghana calls on all nations to move beyond rhetoric and take action to make the Security Council more representative, democratic, and legitimate,” he said.
