The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa; a member of the Commonwealth of Nations; a member of the African Union; and an African member of the UN sending its soldiers to the UN Peacekeeping Force. As of 2017, Ghana has a total population of 26,908,262, with a total military personnel of 13,500, but it has plans to strengthen its national defense. The need for military aid is demonstrated, even though Ghana was not attacked; there have been several in the region, with attacks carried out in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Mali since 2015. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Attacks are evident on Gov.UK; its advice to foreign travelers to Ghana suggests that tourists be wary of terrorist attacks given that "although Ghana has no recent history of terrorism, groups associated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Islamic State of Libya and the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWA) represent a threat to the region as a whole. Ghana is reportedly strengthening its security measures in response to threats elsewhere. The need for military aid is therefore demonstrated; Ghana has recently taken steps to achieve this, including an agreement with China to help it find ways to finance itself. The Ghana News Agency cites the story of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between China and Ghana, in which China's financial sector plays a vital role in "ensuring international security" through monetary donations. Ghana has also been active in providing military aid to other countries and has contributed to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the main body providing military aid, especially in times of disaster. His contribution to the UN peacekeeping forces was also significant, as a Yale article states: "Ghanaian peacekeeping forces have served in Africa, Europe and Asia, and governments successive countries view this role as their contribution to the achievement of world peace. » This shows that Ghana is the largest contributor of military aid. Ghana has invested budget in its military to help others and for national security purposes. Ghana must take into account four crucial considerations in the decision-making process of the UN peacekeeping mission: whether or not the mandate of the mission of national interest is effective in command; the political or ethnic situations of Ghana may or may not be assigned to the mission; the size of the troops is sufficient or not for the mission; and Ghana's current capacities in human, financial and logistical resources to carry out the mission. Such an assessment helps determine staffing shortages, but will have no effect on the government's ability to manage national security matters. Since Ghana's independence in 1957, military spending has fluctuated and nearly led to bankruptcy. After the 1966 coup, the NLC resolved the problem by reducing the military budget and canceling new purchases of military equipment. Instead, NLC focused on forming alliances with the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This plan reduced the percentage of the military budget to 3.2%, from 7.9% in 1972. In 1992, the budget of the Ghana Armed Forces was $105 million. It is important to note that the Ministry of Defense is the sole authority to approve purchases of military equipment for the Ghana Armed Forces, under the Procurement Act.