Veteran journalist, Kwesi Pratt, has called on the John Mahama administration, to immediately do away with the ‘forward operating base of the United States (US) army, situated in Ghana.
The base was established under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government. It is located at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra.
But Pratt, who has never hidden his strong opposition to the US when it comes to world politics thinks that is one solid move for Ghana to make to tell the world that it will not allow it territory to be used for any aggression against any country in the world including those in West Africa.
Making the call in the wake of the invasion of Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady, Cilia Flores, the outspoken journalist called on Ghanaians to join in making the demand on their elected leaders.
“The government of Ghana has a special responsibility in this matter. And the government of Ghana has a special responsibility in this matter because it has allowed the establishment of a forward operating base of the U.S. Army in Ghana.
At least the government of Ghana needs to send a clear message that the territory of Ghana would not be used in any aggression against any country in the world, especially in West Africa. That is a responsibility the people of Ghana must demand on their government.
We have to make it clear to the Mahama administration that we will not tolerate the misuse of Ghanaian territory for aggression in any part of the world and that as quickly as possible, the forward operating base of the U.S. Army, which was established in Ghana under the Akufo-Addo regime, should be dismantled as quickly as possible. That is a legitimate demand that we have to make”, he has argued on Pan Africa television.
Like many other nations, Ghana, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, days ago strongly condemned the unilateral use of force and unauthorised military invasion of Venezuela by the US in the early hours of Saturday, 3rd January, 2026.
The pair have been indicted on drug charges in New York.
According to a statement issued by the sector Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana was alarmed by the development.
It said the country was monitoring the situation warning that such actions, including attempts at occupying foreign territory and exerting external control over natural resources, pose serious risks to global peace and stability.
“The Ghanaian Government is keenly following the situation in Venezuela with great concern, and notes that such assaults on international law, attempts at the occupation of foreign territories and apparent external control of oil resources have extremely adverse implications on international stability and the global order,” the statement issued on Sunday, January 4 said.
Ghana also raised concern over comments said to have come from President Donald Trump, suggesting that the United States would “run” Venezuela during a transition period and allow major US oil companies to operate there.
The Foreign Ministry said these actions undermine the global order and threaten the sovereignty of all nations, reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to the principle of self-determination. It stressed that only the people of Venezuela have the right to decide their political and democratic future.
He said such statements echo colonial-era practices and set a dangerous precedent in the modern international system.
“These declarations are reminiscent of the colonial and imperialist era. They set a dangerous precedent for the global order. Such colonial ambitions should have no place in the post-Second World War era. To allow this is to put the international community at great risk and undermine the sovereignty of every country”, the Minster said.
Ghana called for the immediate de-escalation of tensions and the unconditional release of President Maduro and his wife.
The government reiterated its long-standing position against invasion, occupation, colonialism, and all violations of international law, stating that it will continue to defend these principles on the global stage
But in the view of the Managing Editor of the Insight, “What the United States is doing is likely to plunge this world into unprecedented violence, the consequences of which will be grim for everybody, including us”.
He said it is about time those who oppose such acts to come together and register their disagreement with the US in the specific case of Venezuela and other countries it is targeting including Nigeria.
“And it is time for all of us, for all progressive forces around the world, for all truly independent governments to take a clear stand against this U.S. aggression against Venezuela and its threatened aggression against Iran and its efforts to destabilize Nigeria”.
He called on progressive forces across the world to stop the US roping in similar claims in the past by former Prime Minister for the United Kingdom (UK) Tony Blair, leading to attacks in Iraq and killings of millions. He complained bitterly the unfairness when it comes to world politics saying if this had been done by an African leader, that president would have been dragged to the International Court.
“Right now, it is important for all forces of progress, all democratic forces around the world, to raise their voices and raise placards in protest against this reckless adventure of the United States in Venezuela. It must be stopped and it must be stopped through the collective action of progressive forces around the world. We cannot tolerate this. Look, under false pretext, a pretext provided by the former Prime Minister of the U.K., Tony Blair, that Iraq was building weapons of mass destruction and so on, the U.S. invaded Iraq. At the end of the day, two million Iraqis were killed. No weapon of mass destruction was found.
Two million Iraqis were killed. Two million. If an African government had made an intervention in another country, leading to the death of even a hundred people, he would be facing the International Criminal Court. If any African leader had behaved the way Tony Blair of Britain behaved, he would have been before the International Criminal Court.
The time has come to build a just world, and a just world can only be one in which all citizens are treated equally, regardless of the countries they come from and regardless of the positions they hold. This U.S. atrocity, this U.S. behavior, aggressive, unjustified behavior, must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and we must declare our full solidarity with the government and people of America”, he added.
By Gifty Boateng