The recent disclosure by Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, which hinted at the involvement of Ghana in the bombardment of terrorist targets in Nigeria by the United States army, has raised questions about the operation and its legality.

Even though the minister did not state the role Ghana played in the airstrikes after an invitation by both the government of Nigeria and the United States, his comments have been interpreted to mean that the US army used Ghana as a base or ‘launchpad’ for the attack on the Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Nigeria.

One of the people who has made this assertion is the former Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, who has asserted that the supposed action is illegal, pointing to a military agreement signed between Ghana and the United States.

Addressing a press briefing in Parliament on 11 March 2026, the former minister said, “In all disagreements, at no point was the United States or any other country allowed to use the territory of Ghana as a launchpad to attack any individual, any nation, any group of persons or any organisation.”

If the claims of Ghana being used as a base for the airstrike by the former minister are true, was it wrong? What does the military agreement signed by the government of Ghana and the government of the United States allow the US army to do in Ghana?

About the agreement:

The said agreement is titled: ‘Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Ghana on Defence Cooperation, the Status of United States Forces and Access to and Use of Agreed Facilities and Areas in the Republic of Ghana’.

The agreement, which came with a $20 million grant to Ghana, was signed in Accra on 9 May 2018 by the then Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, despite stiff opposition by a faction of the public who argued that it was not in the interest of Ghana and would make Ghana a target for enemies of the United States.

It clarified “access to and use of Agreed facilities and areas by United States forces, thereby facilitating training, including to maintain unit readiness, combined exercises, and other military engagement opportunities.”

It also stated that “United States forces may undertake the following types of activities in Ghana: training; transit; support and related activities; refuelling of aircraft; landing and recovery of aircraft; accommodation of personnel; communications; staging and deploying of forces and materiel; exercises; humanitarian and disaster relief; and other activities as mutually agreed.”

It adds, “All obligations under this Agreement are subject to the availability of appropriated funds authorised for these purposes.”

Below are some articles of the agreement that point to the matter at hand:

Article 5 (1) of the agreement states that “Ghana hereby provides unimpeded access to and use of Agreed facilities and areas to United States forces, United States contractors, and others as mutually agreed. Such Agreed facilities and areas, or portions thereof, provided by Ghana shall be designated as either for exclusive use by United States forces or to be jointly used by United States forces and Ghana. Ghana shall also provide access to and use of a runway that meets the requirements of United States forces.”

Article 5 (1) also authorises the US army to control entry to Agreed facilities and areas that have been provided for exclusive use by United States forces, and to coordinate entry with the authorities of Ghana at Agreed facilities and areas provided for joint use by United States forces and Ghana, for purposes of safety and security.

In Article 7 of the agreement, the United States is allowed to store military equipment in Ghana.

It reads: “United States forces are hereby authorised to preposition and store defence equipment, supplies, and materiel (hereinafter referred to as prepositioned materiel) at Agreed facilities and areas. The prepositioned materiel of United States forces and the Agreed facilities and areas or portions thereof designated for storage of such prepositioned materiel shall be for the exclusive use of United States forces. United States forces shall retain title to and control over the use of prepositioned materiel and shall have the right to remove such items from the territory of Ghana.”

The arrangement also allows, to some extent, free movement of vehicles and aircraft of the US army in Ghana.

“Aircraft, vehicles, and vessels operated by or, at the time, exclusively for United States forces may enter, exit, and move freely within the territory and territorial waters of Ghana with respect for the relevant rules of air, maritime, and land safety, and movement,” Article 12 reads.

The annex of the agreement also listed the “Agreed facilities and areas” of the US in Ghana as follows:

“1. Exercise/Operations Support Area (for exclusive use) located at a Ghana military facility adjacent to the Kotoka International Airport. (See picture 2 in Appendix 1 to this Annex.)

“2. Primary Parking Area (for joint use) located at the Ghana military facility adjacent to the Kotoka International Airport. (See picture 1 in Appendix 1 to this Annex).”

It also stated that United States forces and United States contractors may access and use a runway located at the Kotoka International Airport.

See a screenshot of the areas below:





GhanaWeb Factcheck: Did Ablakwa claim US used Ghana base for Nigeria strike?



BAI

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