With the current rising insecurity, including the proliferation of terrorist and other non-state armed groups, coupled with political instability, creating crisis and threat to the Sahel region, the Special Adviser to the President on the Accra Initiative, Major General (Rtd) Francis Adu-Amanfoh has emphasised on the need to strengthen collaborations to counter terrorism.
Speaking on the theme, “Connection between terrorism, extremism, and maritime security” at the third International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC), Burma Camp, Maj. (Rtd) Adu-Amanfoh indicated that despite gains made in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, there is a need to build resilient forces to deal with the threats through collaborations with stakeholders.
Elaborating on the basis for forming the Accra Initiative in September 2017 by Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo, Major (Rtd) Adu-Amanfoh stated that the initiative was launched in response to growing insecurity linked to violent extremism in the region, and with the current insecurities in the region, there is the need for collaborations to counter the threat to prevent a spillover of terrorism from the Sahel and to address transnational organised crime in border areas.
“The Accra Initiative is mandated to deal with threats in the Sahel region; prevent and block the threat and contain the Sahel region which needs serious collaborations with the Navy to fight any leakages,” he said.
Major (Rtd) Adu-Amanfoh also stressed the need to adopt modern strategies in dealing with terrorism and extremism, in order to cope with external territorial operations.
“We know how skillful the Navy is with intelligence gathering, so we need a lot of collaboration with the Navy as we put our defence forces together to form a formidable force to combat threats in the Sahel,” he added.
Addressing journalists on the significance of this year’s IMDEC, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, indicated that the two-day programme has fostered dialogue and strengthened collaborations among stakeholders to sustain a safe and secure maritime domain and consolidated gains made in the Gulf of Guinea.
“To derive the maximum benefits from the ocean, there is the need to safeguard the blue economy. To this we have also agreed particularly in the Gulf of Guinea to conduct the combined maritime task force and information sharing where we can do coordinated patrols to ensure that our waters are safe and to protect our huge investment in the oceans,” he added.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke