Ghana’s Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, is leading a high-level delegation to Côte d’Ivoire to participate in the Social Cohesion SOCO Regional Conference, where a key Coordination and Regional Committee (CRC) meeting has been convened ahead of the main event.

The pre-conference engagement is setting the stage for deeper collaboration among countries along the Gulf of Guinea’s northern corridor, including Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo.

Delivering an address at the meeting, Mr Ibrahim underscored the urgency of collective action in tackling shared regional challenges, including insecurity, climate change, and limited economic opportunities in border communities.

The Minister stated that development and security are inseparable, noting that vulnerable communities, particularly in northern Ghana and across the Sahel, face increasing pressure from climate variability, cross-border migration, and extremist threats.

“The challenges we face do not respect national borders,” the Minister stated. “Our response must therefore be coordinated, inclusive, and sustained.”

The CRC meeting, held ahead of the main conference, plays a critical role in aligning country priorities, reviewing progress, and ensuring that policy decisions translate into actionable programs. It serves as a technical and strategic platform to harmonise interventions across implementing countries and development partners.

A key highlight of Ghana’s contribution to the discussions was the success of the SOCO Project, which has reached approximately 1.5 million people across 48 districts in six northern regions.

The project has delivered nearly 950 infrastructure subprojects, including schools, health facilities, water systems, and climate resilience initiatives.

Additionally, Ghana’s Local Economic Development interventions have supported over 46,000 beneficiaries through more than 1,500 community groups, nearly 80 per cent of whom are women and youth engaged in agriculture and small-scale enterprises.

The Minister pointed out that such investments are already yielding results by improving livelihoods, strengthening trust in local governance, and reducing vulnerability to extremist influence.

Recent security incidents in the subregion, including attacks affecting Ghanaian traders operating across borders, were cited as a stark reminder of the interconnected nature of regional risks.

These developments have reinforced the need for stronger cooperation in intelligence sharing, border management, and community-level resilience building.

Climate change also featured prominently in the discussions, with calls for gender responsive adaptation strategies to support women and youth, who are disproportionately affected by environmental and economic shocks.

As the region prepares for the main SOCO Conference, stakeholders are expected to deepen commitments toward joint solutions that prioritise job creation, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

The Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to working with neighbouring countries and development partners to transform border communities from zones of vulnerability into hubs of opportunity.

The outcomes of the conference are expected to shape future regional policies and investments aimed at promoting peace, stability, and shared prosperity across the Gulf of Guinea subregion.