The Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Javier Guitierrez has stated the role the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) play in the area of security and defence has made Ghana the hub for security cooperation in the West African Sub-region.

He made the commendation when he paid a courtesy call on the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah at the General Headquarters on Thursday 22 February, 2024.

During their discussion, His Excellency Guitierrez revealed that a new Spanish Security Strategy for Africa would prominently feature military cooperation with Ghana because of the significant contributions of the GAF. He also disclosed that Ghana would benefit from investment in defence assistance and maritime security initiatives, stressing the commitment made by the Spanish military in appointing a Defence Attaché to Ghana.

The Ambassador further said Spain considers Ghana as a reliable ally in security at the strategic and operational levels emphasising that collaborating with Ghana was imperative.

He announced the visit of a Spanish Warship in April this year as part of measures taken to cement bilateral relationship between the two countries. He also highlighted both countries have had mutual collaboration in the area of training and capacity building, maritime cooperation, intelligence and technical cooperation.

The CDS thanked the Ambassador for the visit and for upholding the relationship that existed between the two institutions and commended the Spanish Government for the support at various levels, emphasising that the existing maritime cooperation which has paved the way for the visit of Spanish warship was a show of confidence in the effectiveness of Ghana’s security strategy.

Lt Gen Thomas Oppong-Peprah therefore gave the assurance of the Military High Command to strengthening the cooperation between them. Consequently, he called for assistance in GAF’s non-kinetic approaches to security operations, especially in the Northen Region.