By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu, GNA
Keta (V/R), June 04, GNA- Mr Bill Godson Ocloo, a Human Security Analyst, has urged Ghanaians to approach the Interior Minister’s disclosure of more than 100 unauthorised entry routes in the Volta Region with calm and for a clear-headed national attention.
He acknowledged that traditional authorities have rightly emphasised the historical and socio-economic realities of border life but said the state must also confront the security implications behind the Minister’s observations.
Mr Ocloo, who is also a Disaster Risk Management Practitioner, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), explained that at its core, the Minister’s statement was not an assault on border communities, nor a dismissal of legitimate cross-border trade, cultural exchange and family ties that predate modern borders.
“The remarks reflected intelligence assessments and security concerns about the exploitation of informal routes by individuals entering Ghana outside established immigration and security procedures,” he said.
According to Mr Ocloo, who aiso also the Executive Director of Africa Centre for Human Security and Emergency Management, the distinction matters because the discussion should focus not on whether historical pathways exist, but on whether the state could account for who is using them.
He noted that in today’s security environment, unregulated movement through informal routes could create serious vulnerabilities for both the state and local communities.
Mr Ocloo said when travelers pass through recognised border posts, authorities verify identities, inspect documents, conduct screenings and keep records that support law enforcement and national security investigations.
“The warning is that unauthorised crossings bypass will safeguard and create intelligence blind spots that hinder effective response to threats,” he said.
The analyst described the intelligence gap as a practical security problem, stating that agencies without reliable information cannot determine who entered, their origin, purpose, duration of stay, or threat levels.
He stated that across West Africa, porous borders have been exploited by organised criminal networks, human traffickers, drug and arms smugglers, and increasingly by extremist actors who operate beyond respect for national boundaries.
Drawing lessons from the Sahel, Mr Ocloo said weak border governance enables the movement of people, weapons, money and illicit goods, with border communities often suffering the first consequences.
He stressed that intelligence-led border management combining technology, human intelligence and community engagement has become a cornerstone of modern national security and urged government to balance security and rights, while measures to tighten controls should not criminalise ordinary cross-border activities that sustain markets and families.
Mr Ocloo recommended multi-pronged responses including reinforcing official posts, enhancing patrols, deploying screening technologies, improving inter-agency intelligence fusion, and funding community liaison programmes.
He stressed that the remarks by Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Minister for Interior, should be read as a preventive call to action, and that Ghana must strengthen border management while preserving the dignity and livelihoods of border communities through a collective, balanced response.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah