The Government of Spain has handed over four vehicles worth close to €97000 to the Ministry for Interior of Ghana.
Three of the four-wheel drive vehicles will be handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), and the Ghana Police Service will receive one.
Speaking at a brief ceremony to hand over the vehicles yesterday, the Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Javier Gutierrez, said this would contribute to fighting crime and reinforcing Ghana’s border.
He stated that Spain was committed to the security of Ghana and the sub-region as whatever happened in those areas had a direct impact on the security of Spain.
“We have fruitful cooperation between our security forces both bilaterally and through the European Union to combat common challenges such as terrorism, violent extremism, and organized crime,” Javier Gutierrez stated.
EU support
The ambassador also said that he had been contributing to building the capacities of the Ghanaian security forces.
He said the Spanish Guardia Civil and Police had been leading the implementation of the European Union (EU) counterterrorism projects, Counter Terrorism Public Spaces and NORPREVSEC while Spain was also learning from Ghana’s experience in preventing terrorism.
He commended Ghana’s leadership in organizing regional security cooperation through the Accra Initiative.
He expressed the hope that the equipment donated would also be an asset to reinforce the initiative.
“These vehicles will contribute to reinforcing the borders of Ghana and to fighting against crime, thus bringing about stability and security in the country and in the region,” he said.
Government’s commitment
The Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, expressed appreciation for the gesture from the Spain Government, emphasizing that the relationship between Ghana and the Kingdom of Spain was a long-standing one that dated back to the 1960s and had grown over the years.
Spain, he said, was one of the EU countries that had collaborated with Ghana in the area of security and many other sectors.
He said Ghana and Spain were fighting against international crime and terrorism.
“We both believe in regular migration and its benefits and we both work against irregular migration,” he said.
Irregular migration down
Recent statistics available to the Ghana Immigration Service, the minister said, had shown that the number of Ghanaians who embarked on irregular migration through dangerous routes had greatly reduced.
He said the government was committed to equipping the security agencies including the Ghana Police and Ghana Immigration services, and welcomed the support of partner organizations.
“We must all celebrate the fact that Ghana is an oasis of peace in the sub-region and let me pay tribute to all Ghanaians for being sources of intelligence to the security agencies and operating with them to enable us to enjoy the peace we have now,” the Interior Minister said.
Mr. Dery said the government was working towards creating a better Ghana that would enable citizens, especially the youth, to stay and work in the country rather than risking their lives on perilous journeys as irregular migrants.
