13/12/2022
The European Union is funding a programme to support the fight against terrorism in the northern regions of Ghana, to be implemented with the National Police
Security and emergency personnel from Northern Ghana at a training course on terrorism and intelligence.
Ghana may be considered a country without major crime and criminality problems. But in recent years some radical groups have been detected operating in the Sahel. The terrorist threat in Ghana has led the government to create the Ministry of National Security and within this ministry a Counter Terrorism Intelligence Centre.
The project “Prevention of Electoral Violence and Enhancement of Security in Ghana”, known by its acronym NORPREVSEC, will run for just over two years. The programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by FIIAPP, is designed to support the Ghanaian Ministry of National Security in the implementation of its newly developed National Security Strategy.
The project has three complementary lines of action. The first is carried out by Ghana’s National Commission for Civic Education and focuses on reducing the risk of political violence. The second is carried out by COGINTA, a Swiss NGO, creating and strengthening structures and systems for early prevention. Finally, the third is carried out by FIIAPP, which has specialists from the National Police, through the reinforcement of the capacities of the Ghanaian security forces in intelligence and prevention of radicalisation and violent extremism. All three are coordinated from Spain by the FIIAPP.
During the time the project has been underway, various activities have been carried out, such as the organisation of an event to strengthen coordination between Regional Security Councils and District Security Councils in the north of the country. A session was also held to strengthen coordination in terms of counter-terrorism intelligence between Ghanaian security forces and international security agencies, with the collaboration of Interpol, Europol and Frontex.
In addition, among other activities, an introductory course on terrorism and the intelligence cycle was given to 100 members of the security and emergency forces in the north of the country. With this training, members of up to five corps have been provided with basic knowledge of terrorism, its objectives and operational procedures, and have then been introduced to methods of investigation and intelligence gathering in the face of a possible terrorist threat.
