Stakeholders have begun discussions on Ghana’s preparedness to address security threats linked to instability in the central Sahel ahead of a national forum in Accra..

The engagement sought to build support for the Bamako Declaration, which calls for coordinated action to promote peace, security and social cohesion across the Sahel and West Africa.

Mr Richard Nyaaba Akurugu, National Coordinator of the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) Ghana, who spoke with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a national debriefing, said the exercise was a prelude to the SPI National Forum scheduled for Thursday in Accra

It is being organised by the Governance, Justice and Peace Directorate of the National Catholic Secretariat.

Stakeholders will assess Ghana’s preparedness to prevent and respond to the possible spillover effects of insecurity from the central Sahel.

Mr Akurugu said the debriefing formed part of a regional advocacy strategy to promote the Bamako Declaration adopted in Mali in March this year.

He said the declaration emerged from a regional meeting involving representatives from Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Côte d’Ivoire, including officials from government institutions, academia, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations and development partners.

“So today, Ghana is having our debriefing by bringing together relevant stakeholders to let them hear about the call, discuss it and see how we are contextualising it in Ghana,” Mr Akurugu said.

Participants included representatives of the security services, academia, civil society organisations, the Office of the National Chief Imam, the Catholic Church, development partners and the media.

Mr Akurugu said the national forum would examine Ghana’s readiness to respond to emerging security risks associated with instability in neighbouring Sahel countries.

“The focus is to bring together various stakeholders to assess Ghana’s preparedness in preventing, but also responding to any situation that may arise as a result of the situation in the central Sahel.”

Mr Akurugu said discussions would assess the country’s early warning systems, identify gaps and propose practical measures to strengthen resilience against violent extremism and related threats.

“The major takeaway will be having an understanding of where we are as a country in our preparedness, our early warning systems, the gaps that are there, and then practical steps that could be taken by various stakeholders in ensuring that we have bridged those gaps,” he said.

Mr Akurugu said participating countries had begun national debriefings to raise awareness of the Bamako Declaration and encourage stakeholder engagement.

The Sahel Peace Initiative is a regional peacebuilding programme spearheaded by the Catholic Church with support from Catholic Relief Services to promote dialogue, social cohesion, community resilience and collaboration in addressing the root causes of violent extremism across the Sahel and West Africa.