Ghana, South Africa committed to enhancing defence cooperation
Ghana and South Africa have committed themselves to enhancing defence cooperation, to ensure the optimal performance of the defence sectors of both countries.
The resolve was made at the end of a two-day Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting between the two countries in Accra on Tuesday.
The meeting was structured around working groups, focused on key areas such as Defence Intelligence, Defence Industries, and Military-to-Military cooperation.
The groups after discussions, reached a consensus on major aspects of the plans, and providing valuable enhancements to a collective and ambitious strategy for both countries.
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Kofi Amankwa-Manu, expressed gratitude to all participants for their dedication and active involvement.
He commended the committee members for their innovative ideas and valuable contributions.
“This JDC meeting has assessed the agreement, identified challenges, made appropriate recommendations, and proposed new interventions for better collaborations,” Mr Amankwa-Manu stated.
He acknowledged the frank and realistic recognition of challenges faced by Ghana and South Africa, and said it was important to prepare and strengthen future operations to attain common goals.
The deputy minister applauded the participants for sharing their expertise, leading to concrete proposals and recommendations.
He expressed the hope that the engagements would enable both countries to review and refine their defence plans and strategies for effective implementation.
Mr Amankwa-Manu thanked shareholders and professionals for their technical inputs, underscoring the crucial nature of continuous cooperation.
“It is hopeful that the emerging issues from the JDC will be properly taken note of, for further consideration and subsequent implementation,” he said.
The Director General of the Department of Training at the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Brigadier General Winfried Dzandu-Hedidor, said “the JDC meeting between Ghana and South Africa is a very historic one. This is the maiden meeting between the two countries after a general memorandum of understandin for cooperation was signed.”
He explained that “this aspect is the defense portion that seeks to foster collaboration between the South African Defense Forces and the Ghana Armed Forces to bring about peace globally, on the continent, in the sub-region, and foster collaboration among the two armed forces.”
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
