By Christiana Afua Nyarko, GNA
Accra, Aug. 12, GNA – The Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building has urged Ghana’s new security leadership to strengthen intelligence, border surveillance and early-warning systems amid rising regional threats.
The Centre said the reorganisation of the National Security Council Secretariat should improve intelligence coordination, operational effectiveness and accountability, particularly in responding to terrorism, organised crime and communal conflicts.
The Centre made the call in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Mr Adib Saani, following the appointment of Major General William Ayamdo (Rtd.) as Deputy National Security Coordinator responsible for Operations and other appointments to key departments of the Secretariat.
It congratulated the appointees and said the changes provided an opportunity to strengthen the preventive capacity of Ghana’s national security architecture.
The Centre identified the spread of violent extremism from the Sahel and the potential for terrorist activity to affect Ghana as an immediate security concern.
It called for sustained intelligence gathering, stronger border surveillance, regional intelligence cooperation and measures to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities, particularly in northern Ghana.
The Centre said the threat required security agencies to identify and disrupt potential threats before they materialised.
It cited deteriorating security conditions in parts of the Sahel, particularly Burkina Faso, which shares a border with Ghana, as a factor requiring increased vigilance.
In February 2026, the Government confirmed the deaths of eight Ghanaian nationals following a terrorist attack in Titao, northern Burkina Faso.
Ghana and Burkina Faso subsequently agreed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and develop a framework to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
The Centre also identified chieftaincy, land and communal disputes as internal security concerns, saying unresolved conflicts could escalate and undermine stability in affected communities.
It urged the security leadership to strengthen early-warning and preventive mechanisms to identify local tensions and support timely interventions.
The Centre further called for increased attention to organised crime, illicit financial flows, money laundering, illegal gold trading and cross-border criminal networks.
It said such activities had security implications because proceeds could support corruption, organised criminal groups and other destabilising activities.
The Centre said the effectiveness of the Secretariat’s reorganisation should be assessed by its capacity to anticipate threats, disrupt criminal networks, improve intelligence coordination and protect citizens.
It said those responsibilities should be carried out in accordance with the rule of law and respect for human rights.
The Jatikay Centre said it was prepared to contribute research, expertise and civil-society perspectives to efforts to strengthen Ghana’s human and national security.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey