Ghana among newest arms buyers from Russia – Report

A report released by RIA Novosti, Russia’s largest news agency, has added Ghana to Russia’s list of arms buyers across the globe aiding the world’s second largest weapon exporter to capture the top position from its American rival.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, is quoted in the report as saying Moscow has increased efforts to quadruple its annual weapons sales to over $50bn by 2020 in a battle to capture the top global arms exporter spot.

The Russian defense industry chief stressed: “Not counting inflation, I think we could reach USD50 billion [in arms exports] annually by 2020 which is four times the current amount”.

The United Nations has reportedly raised concerns on numerous occasions about the growing sale of arms in international markets, blaming the weapon sales to massive human rights violations and atrocities in the world.

The American arms industry accounted for the sale of USD69.1 billion worth of weaponry to its international customers, mostly its client states in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, in 2012, according to the US Defense Department.

Russia, on the other hand, is ranked a distant second among the world’s top arms exporters in 2012 with reported sale of USD 15.2 billion to its international customers of nearly 80 countries.

Ghana, according to the reports, has been added to Russia’s growing list of arms customers, including countries like Afghanistan, Oman and Tanzania.