President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the surest way to mitigating terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa would not be through military intervention alone, but a comprehensive social intervention program that addresses development gaps in vulnerable communities within member states.
Such approach, according to President Akufo-Addo, would present the Accra Initiative enormous opportunity to begin at an advantage point to flash out terrorist and violent extremism groups that operates in the Sahel and coastal West Africa.
In his opening speech at the maiden High Level Counter-Terrorism Conference, the “Accra Initiative” in Accra on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said as recent events rendered Sehalian countries of West Africa epic centers of terrorism, the world looked on while terrorist attacked national sovereignty territorial integrity of member states.
The effects of these terrorist attacks in the Sahel region and on some west African countries, President Akufo-Addo stated included the deteriorating effects of democracy, the displacement of people and the needless lost of innocent lives.
Terrorist groups emboldened by their apparent successes in the region, the President indicated were seeking new operation grounds, a development which had triggered the southwest drift of the menace from the Sahel to the coastal West Africa.
And in order to curb the spread of terrorism from the Sahel to coastal states, he said the Accra Initiative was formed.
Established in 2017, as a mechanism for enhanced intelligence sharing among member states, the Accra Initiative had revolved in relevance and in stature, and captured the members of the international community, as an innovative and home grown solution to regional problem.
Comprising originally, five (5) member states —Ghana, Benin, Baukina Fasso, Cotè dl’viore and Togo, they were soon joined by Mali and Niger with Nigeria with observer status.
The Accra Initiative, thus, according to the President Akufo-Addo was grounded on the principles of good political and security governance with the ideals of ownership by synergies among member states serving as the pivots around in which the initiative revolved.
He said that was why, the initiative, even at its early stages of establishment, had proved beneficial in engendering greater responsibility for member states, which had led to successful conduct of joint adhoc military operations to flash out terrorists and transnational organized crime groups from the region’s common borders.
The Ghanaian President said through the successful conduct of previous joint adhoc cooperations, the ability of member states to corporate and collaborate amongst themselves in pursuit of a common agenda had stood the test of scrutiny.
He stressed that the Accra Initiative based on the principle of complementarity, has ensured that its vision and mission were consistent with counter terrorism framework of the UN, AU and ECOWAS.
President Akufo-Addo, however, cautioned that, in that regard, the Accra Initiative should not be perceived as opposed to existing counter-terrorism frameworks in Africa.
“It is preventative rather than reactive approach which should not be viewed as a critical piece of the answer to the overall fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel region and West Africa.”
The Accra initiative, relatively young in it stage of evolution, President Akufo-Addo said had successfully demonstrated the imperatives of inter-governmental cooperation and collaboration toward mounting a strong fight against the spread of terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel and coastal West Africa.
He said in spite of the modest and substantial progress of the Accra Initiative, it was yet to be showcased fully to members of the international community.
“That underscored the very essence of this event,” the President Stated.
President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the support of the European Union (UN) for the holding of the conference which had in attendance, the President of the EU Council, and expressed his appreciation to all friends and partners of the Accra Initiative.
At the submit also included high profile delegation such as the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Benin, Togo, Cotè dl’voire, Baukina Faso, the ECOWAS Commission, and the British Minister for the Armed Forces, the German Deputy Foreign Minister an other representatives of governments, regional and continental organizations.
Their presences at the conference , according to President Akufo-Addo attest to their commitment to help accelerate the efforts to national, regional and continental and global efforts required not only to diagnose the daunting security challenges that confronts the world but to fashion out solutions to resolving them.
Today’s submit of heads of states and governments is preceded by two conferences:
Stakeholders from academia, civil society organizations, think-tanks and non- state actors to deliberate the issues of terrorism in the Sahel region and West Africa and share prospectives on the role of the Accra Initiative.
Secondly, meeting of Ministers of foreign affairs, defense and security of member states and foreign partners to frame up outcomes of the conference for non-state actors.
Today’s conference would consider the reports on the ministerial meetings on the conference for non-state actors towards making commitments to strengthen the Accra Initiative in its overall quest to curtail the spread of terrorism in west Africa
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
