Tackling Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Ghana: Interventions of the State

The West African sub-region appears to be at crossroads, in tackling the spread of violent extremism and terrorism within the Sahel region. The spread of terrorist cells and their activities continues to pose a threat to the stability of the region. The concerted efforts of some West African states to tackle violent extremism and terrorism continues to expose the vulnerabilities of member states. Despite, the drafting of policy frameworks such as the Accra Initiative on terrorism, Economic Community of West African States counter-terrorism strategy implementation plan and the African Union Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, the spread of violent extremism and terrorism in West African keep increasing. The spate of insecurity has triggered various state led security agencies to tighten security within the northern borders of Ghana, whilst gathering intelligence data and security breaches across its porous borders. This discussion paper qualitatively seeks to take stock of work done by state actors examining the interventions of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies in tackling violent extremism and terrorism in Ghana.