Ghana signed a new defense agreement with the European Union aimed at strengthening security cooperation and preventing the spread of Islamist militancy from the Sahel into its northern regions, BBC reported on March 24. The pact focuses on intelligence-sharing, counterterrorism, cybersecurity and military training.

Ghana, which is the first African country to make such a deal with the European Union, has largely avoided frequent and deadly jihadist attacks compared with neighboring countries, reportedly due to a nonaggression understanding with al Qaeda's Sahel affiliate that allegedly allows Ghanaian security forces to operate a logistical base in northern Ghana, where ongoing communal violence has seen jihadists supply weapons to various groups.