PRESS RELEASE : The British High Commission donates ambulances to the Ghana Armed Forces [December 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 12 December 2023.

The British High Commission, Accra has presented 8 ambulances to the Ghana Armed Forces to improve medical outreach in the Northern border regions.

The official handover ceremony which took place on Friday, 12 December at the Burma Camp in Accra is a testament of the strong security and defence ties that the UK and Ghana share.

The event brought together:

• the UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Rt. Hon. James Heappey
• the Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama from the Ghana Armed Forces
• British High Commissioner, H.E. Harriet Thompson
• representatives from the UK government
• representatives from the Ghana Armed Forces

Together, they demonstrated a collaborative effort to bolster peace and security in the Northern regions.

Ghana, like her neighbours, appreciates the importance of civilian cooperation in the Northern regions as the Armed Forces work alongside non-governmental organisations in the fight to prevent and limit violent extremist organisations. The ambulances provided are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to aid the Ghana Armed Forces in their medical outreaches in the 5 Northern regions, as part of the UK-Ghana Civilian Military Cooperation Programme.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Rt. Hon. James Heappey 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 ambulances will be distributed in the Wa, Bolgatanga, Sandema Mechanical Brigade Headquarters and the Armoured Regimental Headquarters in Damango respectively.

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.

Further information

About The Rt. Hon. James Heappey

The Rt. Hon James Heappey is the UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces. Prior to his appointment, he previously served as the Minister for Defence Procurement and a former Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.

About the UK-Ghana Security Dialogue

The UK-Ghana Security Dialogue is one of the many platforms which exhibits the UK and Ghana’s longstanding relationship, particularly in defence and security. The relationship is underpinned by shared principles of democratic governance and respect for international humanitarian and human rights law as well as mutual concerns about regional instability and a desire to support regional and international peace and security.

The governments of both countries affirm their commitment to the partnership in the face of complex and evolving regional and global threats including terrorism, conflict, human trafficking, serious and organised crimes, drug trafficking, cyber-crime and piracy, and recognising the prominent role Ghana plays in countering these threats.

Through these annual dialogues, the UK and Ghana agree to enhance strong existing cooperation in the following areas:

• defence cooperation and maritime security
• serious and organised crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and border security
• countering terrorism and violent extremism

They also seek to promote:

• civil-military cooperation
• human security led approaches to mitigating risks of instability
• combatting mis- and disinformation
• effective use of intelligence
• regional cooperation to address transnational security threats

About the Civilian Military Cooperation Programme (CIMIC)

The system of interaction involving exchange on information, negotiation, de-confliction, mutual support and planning at all levels between military elements and humanitarian organisations, development organisations or the local civilian population to achieve respective objectives.