Albert Kan-Dapaah
Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, has indicated that Ghana remains on a high alert to avert any terrorist infiltration in the nation.
He said, in view of this, the government had instituted a number of good active measures, including counter-terrorism operations along the borders of the country, and retooling of the various state security and intelligence agencies.
Answering questions on the floor of Parliament yesterday, Mr. Kan-Dapaah stated that they are not forgetting about the usefulness of the “soft options approach,” adding that “through this approach, we are expediting development and providing employment for the youth, particularly in the areas likely to be targeted by terrorists.”
“This is necessary so that it becomes difficult for the youth in these areas to be radicalised. We also recognise the need to cooperate and work together with our colleagues in the sub-region,” he posited.
He continued that “it is for this reason that through the initiative of our President, we have set what has become known as the Accra Initiative, which is globally acknowledged as a brilliant initiative, and is seen as the best way for the coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea area to respond to the challenges posed by terrorist.”
“The Gulf of Guinea has become the hot spot for pirate attacks in the world. According to the 2020 Annual Piracy Report of the International Maritime Bureau, actual and attempted pirate attacks were recorded in the Gulf of Guinea in 2022,” the minister disclosed.
According to him, this represented 42 per cent of all pirate attacks recorded globally. During the first quarter of 2021, the Gulf of Guinea accounted for nearly half (43%) of all reported piracy incidents.
“We are doing everything possible to face up to the challenges involved in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, in a bid to ensure that our territorial waters remain safe,” he assured.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah noted that Ghana is relatively safe and stable in spite of the growing threats of insecurity in the sub-region.
“I want to state that Ghana is relatively stable despite a number of threats, both external and internal that can undermine security and stability. These threats have been prominent by crime, land and chieftaincy disputes, piracy and activities of secessionists,” he pointed out.
He indicated that government had put in place measures to deal with threats, and mentioned some of them as enhanced highway patrols, both day and night, and introduction of horse patrol operations.
The minister said safeguarding the country is a key priority for all state security agencies, since there had been attacks in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Togo.
“Ghana has so far not been attacked, but we believe that we have to hold ourselves at all times to ensure that if there is any attack we will be able to handle it, it does not mean the terrorists are not planning, we believe they may be planning, but we believe we have to do what is necessary to ensure we overcome them.”
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House