The Minister for National Security has emphasized the importance of local solutions to combat security challenges in West Africa.
He underscored that recent developments in West Africa exemplify the turmoil and crises that have defined the global landscape over the past decade, which are the most significant the region has faced since the end of the Cold War.
Albert Kan-Dapaah was speaking in a lecture at the African Studies Centre, University of Florida, USA under the theme, “Ensuring Security and Democracy in West Africa: Ghana’s Role in Regional and International Cooperation.”
He pointed out significant changes in the motivations of those causing instability in the region, particularly underscoring the unique challenges in areas like the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin. He detailed the specific threats these issues pose to Ghana and stressed the need for tailored approaches to counteract them.
“Of particular concern is the southward drift of the terrorist threat from the Sahel region to Coastal West African states along the Gulf of Guinea. For the first time, littoral States such as Togo and Benin which were once considered to be Police States impervious to terrorist attacks recorded more than 40 deaths each from terrorism in 2023.
The result of this development is that, except Ghana, all Coastal West African States along the Gulf of Guinea have recorded a terrorist attack,” he disclosed.
He advocated for the implementation of ‘home-grown initiatives anchored on a sub-regional cooperation framework in the fight against terrorism. ‘
He emphasized Ghana’s unique position as a bastion of democracy and stability within the region, particularly as neighbouring countries like Togo face risks of democratic regression.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah stressed the importance of bolstering support for ECOWAS and the Ghana-led Accra Initiative to tackle the diverse array of challenges confronting the region. Ranging from unemployment to governance deficiencies to the scourge of terrorism, these challenges necessitate both strategic kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to effectively mitigate transboundary threats while simultaneously addressing internal issues.
The minister urged students and the entire academic community to intensify their research efforts, seeking measures to achieve ‘a peaceful and stable West African region where democracy thrives and terrorism becomes a thing of the past.
He called on development partners to tailor their interventions to support local initiatives aimed at fostering stability within the region.