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Classified Information Disclosure: Foreign Affairs Ministry denies claims
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The Media Relations Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fred Duhoe, has dismissed claims that Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister revealed classified information about security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria.
In a statement, he said reports and social media commentary suggesting that the Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed sensitive information were inaccurate.
According to him, the minister only referred to information that was already in the public domain during his presentation at a discussion held at Chatham House in the United Kingdom.
Duhoe explained that several international media organisations had reported on the security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria months before the minister’s remarks.
He cited a report published on November 19, 2025, by Al Jazeera, which discussed Nigeria’s interest in strengthening security cooperation with the United States to tackle terrorism and violent attacks.
He referenced a December 26, 2025 report by Anadolu Agency that confirmed ongoing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States to address terrorism and violent extremism.
According to him, several international outlets, including Reuters, also reported between February 11 and 12, 2026, that the United States planned to deploy about 200 troops to Nigeria to train and support the Nigerian military in counter-terrorism operations.
Duhoe said the minister made the remarks during a discussion on strengthening collective security against violent extremism in West Africa. The event was attended by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.
He stressed that the information mentioned at the event could not be considered classified because it had already been widely reported in international media between November 2025 and February 2026.
The statement highlighted Ghana’s role in promoting regional security cooperation. According to Duhoe, the country has been leading meetings on intelligence sharing and regional security collaboration.
He cited the High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security held in Accra from January 29 to 30, 2026, as an example of Ghana’s efforts to strengthen security coordination in the region.
Mr.Duhoe added that the minister’s engagements in the United Kingdom, including activities linked to the Commonwealth of Nations and Chatham House, were largely successful.
He therefore urged the public to treat claims that the minister disclosed classified information with caution.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy has appealed to the Ministry of Finance to release GH¢5.6 million to the Petroleum Commission to enable it to establish and operate a world-class data centre.
According to the Committee, access to the funds will strengthen the Commission’s capacity to manage critical upstream petroleum data and improve its operations.
Speaking during the appeal, Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said the move was crucial to efforts to revitalise Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry and increase oil production.
He noted that although investment and hydrocarbon production had declined in recent years, Parliament’s approval of an extension of the petroleum agreement to 2030 had attracted additional funding and contributed to an increase in production from about 80,000 to 120,000 barrels per day.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over repeated budget allocations for oil exploration in the Voltaian Basin.
Mr. Bedzrah stressed that funds approved for exploration must produce tangible results, adding that the Committee would require clear evidence of progress before supporting future budget allocations for the programme.
The appeal was made during a working visit to the Petroleum Commission as part of the Committee’s oversight activities to assess its operations and management procedures.
During the engagement, the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, took the Committee through the Commission’s working procedures and mandate, which includes regulating, managing and coordinating upstream petroleum activities.
She disclosed that since assuming office in 2025, government had pursued measures to reverse the decline in crude oil production, sustain output and reposition Ghana as an attractive destination for investment in Africa’s increasingly competitive petroleum sector.
In addition, she said government had secured fresh commitments of about US$35 billion to help revitalise the sector.
As part of the oversight exercise, the Committee is expected to conclude its monitoring visit with engagements at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL).
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
“No civilisation deserves to be annihilated” – Mahama calls for dialogue on global conflicts at UNGA 81
President John Dramani Mahama has called for solidarity and dialogue in resolving global conflicts, insisting that no civilisation deserves to be wiped out.
“No human civilisation deserves to be annihilated, certainly not a member state of the United Nations,” President Mahama stated in his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He called for solidarity with nations facing terrorism, especially the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and for a uniform approach to conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
On the Middle East, the President called for a return to negotiations, saying “The current Middle East crisis is having a deleterious effect on the world economy.”
“I believe that dialogue can resolve even the most intractable of problems,” he added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
