Major General Dr Timothy Tifucro Ba-Taa-Banah, Director of the National Counter Terrorism Fusion Centre, has described terrorist financing as the "oxygen" that sustains violent extremism, warning that organised crime networks are increasingly channelling funds to terrorist groups through sophisticated cyber tools.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the launch of the National Community Media Cyber Capability Building Project (NCMCCBP) at the NCA Tower in Accra, he stressed that disrupting terrorist financing would significantly weaken extremist organisations.

"If we are able to take away from them the oxygen from their system, terrorism will collapse. And what is the oxygen? The oxygen is money," he said.

Major General Ba-Taa-Banah explained that transnational organised crime and terrorism have become closely intertwined, with criminal enterprises providing financial lifelines to extremist groups.

"Remember, there is a symbiotic relationship between transnational organised crime and terrorism. So much of the funding that goes into organised crime will end up in the hands of terrorists," he warned.

He said terrorist organisations require substantial resources to procure equipment, sustain operations and recruit members, adding that they have developed increasingly sophisticated methods of generating and transferring funds through cyber-enabled platforms.

"They have developed sophisticated ways of getting funding to them," he noted, adding that terrorists also rely on advanced cyber tools to finance their operations.

The Counter Terrorism Fusion Centre Director further cautioned that the threat posed by terrorism extends beyond physical attacks, as extremist groups increasingly seek to influence people's beliefs and attitudes.

"It goes beyond the physical nature of the individual. In fact, they work on the psyche of our citizens," he said.

He observed that Ghana's youthful and digitally connected population has become a key target for extremist recruitment and radicalisation efforts, noting that more than 40 per cent of the country's population falls within the youth demographic.

Major General Ba-Taa-Banah emphasised that addressing the evolving threat requires a coordinated national response involving security agencies, government institutions, the media and the public.

"We need everybody's effort to be able to scale," he said, while commending the ACDT, the Cyber Security Authority and the sector ministry for spearheading the initiative.

The National Community Media Cyber Capability Building Project forms part of Ghana's broader efforts to strengthen cyber resilience, counter online threats and enhance national preparedness against terrorism and violent extremism.