Ghana and EU sign landmark defence deal to combat threat posed by militant Islamists

Ghana has signed a defence agreement with the European Union (EU) as Islamist militants continue to wreak havoc in neighbouring countries.

The agreement, signed in Accra by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Ghanaian Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, strenghtens cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism and cybersecurity.

Ghana is the first African country to make such a deal with the EU, Opoku-Agyemang said.

Though Ghana has so far remained largely untouched by militant violence, the surrounding West African region has become a hotbed of activity by affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.

Tuesday's agreement "signals the EU's determination to support Ghana's efforts at tackling emerging threats both at the national and at the regional levels", Osman Abdul Razak, Ghana's national security coordinator, said at a joint press conference on Tuesday.