https://allafrica.com/stories/202110270564.html
The Foreign Ministry of Ghana visited Sao Tome and Principe meeting with the leaders of the country to conduct negotiations on interstate cooperation. The two countries signed four separate treaties together, tying themselves to economic trade, freer movement between the two, exchanging of technology and consumers, and for the mutual raising of the quality of life. Sao Tome and Principe officials noted that such necessary partnership with Ghana was pertinent particularly due to their handling of COVID-19 and outbreaks, with their inability to handle the situation as they should. Officials from both countries also noted that in the wake of numerous pan-African economic deals and free movement pacts there has never been a more ample opportunity to unite in creating a thriving Africa, as was their supposed purpose in these two nations own deals. I see this as a strategically innocent move from Sao Tome and Principe to strengthen their diplomatic ties to Ghana in an indirect way. As Ghana is now a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, even if these are not clear military pacts, rather nearly entirely economic, it will have the effect of uniting the countries closer to one another, as could be the purpose of Sao Tome and Principe. Sao Tome and Principe is in the Lusosphere with few large powers to be inclined to align naturally with, therefore a newly charged country with international significance seems like a clear next step. Furthermore, Sao Tome and Principe has had a history of soured and stalled trade and infrastructure dealings with China, incentivizing having another state on their side. What is very interesting in modern times that is the same concept relating this back to international relations is the idea of universal jurisdiction. This means that some states have non-militaristic authority over other countries on the global stage, not derived from subjugation but from mutual participation in organizations such as the UN, causing nations such as Sao Tome to align and flock to an otherwise not powerful country in Ghana. Without their universal jurisdiction to an extent, Ghana is a rather poor insignificant state, however with it, they are now seen as an international actor which smaller states such as Sao Tome and Principe are very eager to work with.