Ghana is pressing France to intervene with the International Monetary Fund to revive a stalled acquisition of offshore patrol vessels for its Navy, President John Dramani Mahama has revealed , as the two countries prepare for an official state visit in the coming days.
The patrol vessel programme, designed to tackle rising piracy along Ghana’s coast, has been frozen since Ghana entered debt restructuring.
Speaking at a credentials ceremony for incoming French Ambassador-Designate H.E. Diarra Dime Labille, President Mahama said he had already raised the matter personally with French President Emmanuel Macron and would push it further when he travels to Paris.
His argument to the IMF is straightforward — security cannot wait.
“Security is important,” President Mahama told the incoming ambassador. “We are hoping that working with you will continue that discussion.”
The Navy vessels are one part of a broader military modernisation agenda that Ghana and France are working through together. President Mahama also confirmed that four Eurocopter helicopters had been acquired through President Macron’s direct intervention. One has already been delivered to the Ghana military, with the remaining three on a confirmed schedule. Ghana’s air military capacity, he said, had deteriorated badly over the years through years of reliance on ageing equipment, making the new fleet an urgent priority.
Beyond hardware, the two countries have an agricultural cooperation programme quietly delivering results on the ground. Twenty dams have been rehabilitated under the Agricultural Water Management Programme, President Mahama said, giving Ghanaian farmers the ability to cultivate crops throughout the year instead of being confined to a six-to-seven month rainy season. He said cracking the year-round farming problem could double Ghana’s food output and move the country meaningfully closer to feeding itself.
The official visit to France will also include attendance at the One Health Summit in Lyon. President Mahama said he hoped the trip would take the relationship between Accra and Paris to an even higher level, building on cooperation that now stretches from the farm to the barracks to the sea.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
