President John Mahama has reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to ongoing dialogue between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the three Sahelian countries that recently withdrew from the regional bloc to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Speaking at the Jubilee House after receiving the new German Ambassador to Ghana, Frederick Landshoft, President Mahama warned that the growing threat of terrorism in the Sahel poses a danger to the entire West African sub-region if not addressed collectively.
“The AES countries, which are our Sahelian neighbours, have broken away from ECOWAS. We are engaging in continuous dialogue with them because we realise that the difficulty they face is not theirs alone. If we do not solidarise, it could spread over the whole of the sub-region,” he said.
President Mahama stressed the importance of regional and global cooperation in addressing violent extremism and praised Germany for its longstanding partnership with Ghana, particularly through support for the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre.
He noted that Germany’s collaboration in training peacekeepers and strategic thinkers had been invaluable and called for deeper cooperation in technical support, training, and joint exercises to strengthen regional security.
The President also reflected on the changing global order, emphasising the need for countries that value multilateralism to work closely together.
“Relations between countries are becoming more transactional, and it looks like the multilateral order is being upended. But Germany is a strong believer in multilateralism, just as Ghana is. This is a time for us to come even closer together,” he said.
President Mahama also highlighted the strong bilateral ties between Ghana and Germany, citing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Ghana in 2023 as a high point in relations between the two nations.
Ambassador Landshoft, on his part, commended President Mahama’s leadership and reform agenda, describing Ghana as a reliable partner with shared values on democracy, multilateralism, and economic development.
“This year, we celebrate 50 years of economic cooperation. At the United Nations, we not only sit next to each other but also vote for the same resolutions most of the time.
“We are happy to have a partner like Ghana, where we can build on this shared foundation,” the ambassador said.
The courtesy call forms part of efforts to deepen Ghana-Germany relations in security, economic cooperation, and multilateral diplomacy at a time of growing regional security challenges.
