Ghana must confront its mounting vulnerabilities with greater urgency, security analysts have cautioned, warning that the country’s stability hinges on how quickly it strengthens internal security systems, improves intelligence coordination and builds community resilience.
The call comes amid escalating terrorist activities across West Africa and increasing signs that extremist threats from the Sahel are edging closer to coastal states.
These concerns dominated discussions at a high-level conference held in Accra on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, under the theme “Fighting Terrorism in the Middle East and Africa,” organised by the Centre for Policy Scrutiny (CPS).
Speakers agreed that Ghana cannot afford complacency as the regional security environment deteriorates.
Delivering the keynote address, international relations and security expert Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso issued a stark warning that Ghana faces a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
He stressed that West Africa has become the world’s most dangerous hub for extremist activity, with insurgent groups expanding their operations, adapting quickly to countermeasures and exploiting political and social weaknesses within states.
“Terrorism is no longer just about guns and bombs. It is ideological, economic and social,” Dr Antwi-Danso declared.
“If Ghana is to survive the coming wave, intelligence systems must be better coordinated, communities must be sensitised, and borders must be more effectively monitored.”
He explained that insurgent groups in the Sahel are now using sophisticated networks to entrench themselves, taking advantage of economic grievances, social tensions and unresolved local disputes to recruit vulnerable young people.
According to him, similar vulnerabilities exist in Ghana, making proactive intervention essential.
“If local conflicts are not resolved, they become easy gateways for extremist groups. This is exactly what happened in Mali,” he said, recounting how local factions had once invited Al-Qaeda-linked fighters for help, only to lose control of the insurgents.
Dr Antwi-Danso also pointed to the decentralised nature of modern terrorism, observing that the splintering of ISIS and Al-Qaeda has created smaller, diffused cells operating across vast terrains, making detection and containment far more complex. Citing a 2024 United Nations report, he noted that 56% of global terrorism is now concentrated in the Sahara region, with West Africa accounting for 70% of all attacks recorded between 2016 and 2024.
This, he said, makes the sub-region the epicentre of extremist violence worldwide.
Tracing the roots of Sahel instability, Dr Antwi-Danso highlighted long-standing governance failures, unresolved historical tensions and ungoverned spaces across affected states.
He emphasised that the collapse of Libya in 2011 marked a turning point in Africa’s security trajectory as heavily armed fighters dispersed into neighbouring countries, fuelling instability that continues to spread today.
He further warned that terrorism thrives in environments where citizens feel neglected.
“When people lack access to jobs, education and essential services, when they feel marginalised or abandoned, extremist narratives become appealing alternatives,” he noted.
For this reason, he argued that militarised responses alone are insufficient.
“We must uproot the mindset and plant a new one. If we ignore the non-kinetic dimension, we will keep losing the war,” he advised, urging Ghana and its neighbours to blend security operations with social, cultural and ideological interventions.
The conference was attended by several dignitaries, including the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad; the Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; and the MP for Akim Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah.
Their presence, organisers said, underscored the importance of international collaboration in addressing terrorism.
Although the dignitaries did not deliver major speeches, they expressed strong support for the discussions and the need for preventive strategies to safeguard Ghana’s stability.
Ambassador Gilad highlighted Israel’s longstanding experience in counterterrorism and encouraged deeper cooperation with Ghana, while both MPs reiterated Ghana’s need to enhance intelligence-sharing and strengthen border control as extremist groups face increasing pressure in the Sahel and may seek new operational spaces.
The conference concluded with a striking consensus: terrorism in Africa is evolving too quickly for Ghana to rely on old security models.
Experts agreed that early action—grounded in intelligence, community vigilance and social investment—remains Ghana’s greatest defence against infiltration.
