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 United Nations that sends its soldiers to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. As of 2017, Ghana has a total population of 26,908,262, with a total military personnel of 13,500, but has planned to increase national defense. The need for military aid is demonstrated by the fact that although Ghana was not attacked; there have been several in the region, with attacks against Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Mali perpetrated since 2015. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAttacks are evident on the UK government; its advice on foreign travel to Ghana suggests that tourists are weary of terrorist attacks as "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) pose a threat to the wider region.” Ghana is said to be strengthening security measures in response to threats elsewhere. Ghana has taken steps to achieve this more recently, including an agreement with China for the latter to help them with concessional means to finance themselves The Ghana News Agency cites the story of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between China and Ghana, where 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 others and has contributed to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the main body providing military aid, particularly in disaster relief. Its contribution to the UN peacekeepers was also significant, as stated in a Yale paper: "Ghana's peacekeepers have served in Africa, Europe and Asia, and successive governments see this role as their contribution to achieve world peace." As a result, this makes Ghana the largest contributor to military aid. Ghana has invested budgets in its military to help others and for national security purposes. Ghana requires four crucial considerations to be taken into account in the decision-making process of the UN peacekeeping mission: the mandate of the mission with national interest whether or not it is effective in command; Ghana's political or ethnic situations may or may not be influenced by the mission; whether or not the troop size is sufficient for the mission; and Ghana's current capabilities in terms of human, financial and logistical resources to conduct the mission. This assessment helps determine the absence of personnel will not affect the government's ability to address national security issues. Since Ghana's independence in 1957, military spending has fluctuated enough to nearly bankrupt it. After the 1966 coup, the NLC solved the problem by reducing the military budget and canceling purchases of new military hardware. 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. Importantly, the Ministry of Defense is the only authority to approve purchases of military hardware for the armed forces.