Suspicion, speculation and fears continue to grow among Ghanaians
The signs we’ve seen here in the last few years lends credence to the likelihood of such a military base in Ghana. Ghanaian businessman Kojo Tetteh
A US military base might soon become operational in Ghana, despite the fact that the government denies that any such deal was reached with the American administration.
The news first broke in May 2003, following a statement credited to General James L. Jones, a US military general and commander of NATO forces that Washington plans to grow its military presence in Africa in order to "respond to new threats."
As Black Britain’s investigation reveals, the planned base in Ghana is primarily for the purpose of policing US interests in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, particularly Nigeria which is expected to be the source of about 20 per cent of the oil consumed in the US over the next few years.
“Don’t mistake it, the US has a strong economic interest in West Africa and with the situation of things in the Middle East, they want to take a strong strategic foothold in the region before China overwhelms them. It is not a hear-say they are here to stay,” a top level source at the Ghanaian Defence ministry told Black Britain last week.
Amid concerns about the situation in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, Black Britain has learnt that the US is worried about the growing trend of Islamic fundamentalism in northern Nigeria and plans to use the Ghanaian military base to check possible Al-Qaeda infiltration of the region.
Four days after Nigeria’s presidential elections, Islamic militants attacked a police station in the commercial city of Kano in the north of the country killing twelve policemen and a woman believed to be the wife of one of the slain cops.
“The signs we’ve seen here in the last few years lends credence to the likelihood of such a military base in Ghana. I won’t doubt it but I will say that that it would be the greatest mistake the Kufour government will make. It is akin to selling the achievement of March 6, 1957 and I think that would be disastrous,” said Kojo Tetteh, a Ghanaian businessman.
Concerns about the planned military base heightened three weeks ago when one of Ghana’s leading critics, Kwesi Pratt, of the Committee for Joint Action, stated that he has evidence that the US Army is establishing a military base in Tamale in the northern part of the country. Pratt called for mass action against the move.
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