Accra, Jan. 21, ’25 (Reuters/TNZ) Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, on Tuesday, appointed a former national security chief as envoy to a new alliance formed by Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
The appointment signalled his administration’s intention to mend ties with the three military-led nations.
Juntas seized control in a series of coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger between 2020 and 2023.
They severed military and diplomatic ties with regional allies and Western powers.
Diplomatic relations between Ghana and Burkina Faso broke down in 2022 after former president, Nana Akufo-Addo, alleged it had hired Russian Wagner mercenaries.
Akufo-Addo said the mercenaries’ presence on Ghana’s northern border was distressing.
Mahama, 66, won the Dec. 7, 2024, presidential election by a wide margin to stage a political comeback in Ghana.
Ghana, the world’s second cocoa producer, is recovering from its worst economic crisis in a generation.
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Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, an Accra-based security consultant, said the appointment of Larry Gbevlo-Lartey indicated Ghana’s willingness to improve its relationship with the junta-led countries in the region.
Gbevlo-Lartey is to liaise with the three-nation Alliance of Sahel States (AES)
The three countries created the alliance last July, underscoring their determination to chart a joint course outside the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc.
“His appointment is the first in ECOWAS and it’s an attempt to rebuild trust.
“This will start the process of re-engagement and the return of the AES to the ECOWAS family,’’ Kwesi Aning said.
“The retired lieutenant colonel has credentials and speaks a language the AES leadership understands,’’ he added.
The presidency also said that Mahama had named former Minister of Communication, Edward Omane Boamah as Defence Minister. Mahama also appointed former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper as presidential adviser on the economy. (Reuters)
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