On Friday, July 11, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated that during a conversation with his counterpart, John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, they discussed opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the field of unmanned technologies.
"Ghana is also interested in our technologies, the production of various types of drones, and the experience Ukraine has gained during this war. Ghana is ready to finance our production, and we are ready to help our partners secure their borders. I invited President Mahama to visit Ukraine," Zelenskyi noted.
Read more: russia Acknowledges Ukraine's Tank Protection Against Drones Is 1.5 Times More Effective and Copies It
The terms of such cooperation are still unknown, but for Ghana, the development of the drone industry could significantly strengthen its military, while Ukraine would receive additional funding and strengthen its position in Africa.
The Ghana Armed Forces do not have a significant amount of weaponry at their disposal. For instance, armored vehicles are mainly represented in infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers (there are no tanks in service), towed artillery consists of six D-30 howitzers, and air defense consists of Soviet Strela-2, ZPU-2, and ZPU-4 systems. The navy and air force are equally modest.
In addition, Ghana has a rather limited defense budget. According to data from open sources, in 2022 it amounted to $226 million, in 2023 it grew to $335 million, and in 2024 it fell to $317 million. In 2025-2029, it is planned to grow to over $509 million.
It is also worth noting that Ghana shares a border with Burkina Faso, which is friendly to russia. In 2022, Ghana expressed concern that the government of Burkina Faso had begun cooperating with the russian Wagner Group, which has since been rebranded as the so-called African Corps.
Read more: UK May Replace Land Rover Defenders with South Korean KLTVs — Could Ukraine Receive Old Vehicles?
