Ghana is beacon of freedom, democracy in West Africa - UK Home Secretary
Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Ghana has been lauded by United Kingdom's Home Secretary Priti Patel as a beacon of freedom and democracy in West Africa, the state-run Ghana News Agency reported here Monday.
The Home Secretary is the political security chief of the UK, who is responsible for immigration, the police and other matters relating to the safety of the United Kingdom.
In a statement issued here by the British High Commission, Ms. Patel said the UK remained committed to continuing its cooperation with Ghana in the areas of combating terrorism, organized migration crime, drug trafficking and other global threats.
The statement followed the second UK-Ghana security dialogue which took place in London between July 25 and 27 to discuss shared interests in tackling global issues.
“The UK and Ghana have a deep and longstanding relationship, and we are powerful allies when confronting the scourge of organized criminal gangs that operate across our borders.
“Ghana is the beacon of freedom and democracy in West Africa and through our joint work we are tackling global threats and cracking down on the threats to our mutual security,” Ms. Patel stated.
Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, minister of National Security, who led the Ghanaian delegation, said: “The UK is a primary and reliable partner to Ghana; therefore, we welcome essential security initiatives from the UK towards building Ghana’s resilience to address national and regional threats.”
The Home Secretary visited Ghana last year in the first round of talks, opening a new Home Office-funded immigration taskforce office in the process.
The statement said because of the joint working group, since January 2022, 14 organized crime groups had been disrupted, preventing the facilitation of 56 individuals from entering the UK illegally, and saving the UK over £812,000 in the process.
The two countries recommitted to strengthening law enforcement agency collaboration, engagement on border security, and working together to enhance cyber security in Ghana and support regional solutions to instability in Ghana’s neighbouring states.
-0- PANA RA 1Aug2022
