12/05/2023
Ghanaians participate in an open forum to learn about the importance of working with security forces to prevent potential terrorist attacks
The workshop bringing together representatives of Ghana’s Regional and District Security Councils concluded on the importance of information sharing and the involvement of civil society in security issues in the fight against terrorism in Ghana.
As a result of this workshop, the Open Forum was held, a forum in which the 25 participants of the Councils workshop plus 25 people from civil associations took part. This forum re-emphasised the need and importance of exchanging information and the collaboration of the public with the security forces in order to achieve an effective fight against the different crimes that can be committed.
The forum opened a debate in search of suggestions from both law enforcement specialists and the civilian population to find solutions and ways to exchange this much-needed information. It was conveyed that detecting and raising awareness of the terrorist threat in communities through social networks should be fundamental as a form of prevention by increasing relations with security agencies. It was also noted that land ownership is often a major conflict in the five northern regions of Ghana and that the Regional and District Security Councils (REGSEC and DICSEC) should be the focal points for the resolution of such conflicts.
During the forum, the importance of using the WAPIS database for the exchange of information and not doing it in a more informal way was once again stressed. COGINTA, an NGO working on the NORPREVSEC project, proposed the control, in border regions, of people arriving in Ghana from other countries without documentation.
Finally, the Ghanaian Ministry of National Security’s Counter-Terrorism Centre emphasised that collaborative arrangements should be implemented, especially to raise awareness through social media. In addition, the attendees were sensitised with relevant documents and the need to designate a focal point in the Counter-Terrorism Centre of the Ministry of Security to increase information exchange was highlighted.
