Ghana has convened a High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra, bringing together intelligence chiefs and senior security officials from West Africa and the Sahel to address growing security threats in the sub-region.
The two-day conference, held under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, is aimed at strengthening regional collaboration to combat terrorism, violent extremism, piracy and transnational organised crime.
It represents what government officials describe as a shift from fragmented national responses toward a unified and comprehensive framework that integrates security, development and social cohesion.
Ghana’s Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, who welcomed participants to the conference, said the threats confronting the region have become increasingly complex, particularly with the intensification of terrorism and violent extremism in the Central Sahel.
He noted that affiliates of Sahara-based extremist groups and other armed actors continue to exploit governance gaps, intercommunal tensions, economic hardship and climate-related pressures.
According to the Interior Minister, the security challenges facing the sub-region are closely linked to structural vulnerabilities such as climate-induced resource scarcity, youth unemployment, weak border management and declining social cohesion.
He added that transnational crimes, including illegal migration, smuggling, drug trafficking and cybercrime, continue to exert pressure on Ghana and its neighbours, although intelligence-led operations have achieved notable successes.
Alhaji Muntaka urged intelligence chiefs to engage in frank, innovative and forward-looking deliberations based on real-time threat assessments.
He called for recommendations that would build trust, strengthen coordination, promote local ownership, avoid duplication and make effective use of existing regional mechanisms, while delivering practical and sustainable solutions, particularly for communities along border areas.
Addressing the conference, Ghana’s Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang called for enhanced regional cooperation to confront shared security challenges.
She stressed that threats such as money laundering, terrorism financing and the proliferation of small arms transcend national borders and therefore require collective action.
She urged stakeholders to adopt a focused and coordinated approach, emphasizing that every West African country has a role to play in building a secure and prosperous region.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, also highlighted the need to rethink existing approaches to countering insecurity in the region.
He stressed that no single country can address the challenges alone and called for the resolve and courage to work together within an agreed regional framework.
The conference is expected to produce concrete proposals to enhance cooperation and resilience against security threats across West Africa and the Sahel.
Source:www.kumasimail.com
