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22.03.2018 General News

US Ambassador Say Ghana Will Benefit From Defence Cooperation Agreement

By MyJoyOnline
US Ambassador Say Ghana Will Benefit From Defence Cooperation Agreement
22.03.2018 LISTEN

The US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, says Ghana will benefit from a security cooperation agreement which has become a subject of controversy in Ghana.

The contents of the Defense Corporation Agreement signed between the two countries have generated a huge public outcry with the Minority in Parliament vowing to resist attempts to ratify the agreement.

Apart from being able to use Ghana as a base for staging and deploying its military, the agreement also gives the US troops unfettered access to certain agreed locations in the country.

Ghana, per the agreement, is to bear the cost and take primary responsibility for securing their facilities while the troops are in the country.

The US troops are also to be allowed to use Ghana’s radio spectrum for free. They will also enjoy tax exemptions.

Ghanaians are incensed by the agreement and even more troubled that government went ahead to sign such a deal. Their fear is that the presence of the troops will jeopardise the security of the country.

Although the US Embassy has released a statement seeking to allay these fears and stressed that the agreement was only for a joint security exercise in Ghana, it called a press conference in Accra on Thursday to further explain its position.

Joy News’ Gifty Andoh Appiah was at the press conference and reports the US Ambassador as saying there is no cause for worry and that Ghana rather stands to benefit from the deal.

More soon...

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