Ghana not immune from terrorist attacks – Akufo Addo

Addressing attendees of the maiden Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel under the theme, Peace Operations in the Context of Violent Extremism in Africa, President Akufo-Addo said the incidents of 2015, when agents of the so-called Islamic State succeeded in recruiting a few attendees from the country’s university campuses to join the group’s fighters in Lybia and Syria as well as two Germans of Ghanaian parentage who also joined the Islamic State, should inform the measures the country ought to put in place to deal with terrorist threats to its territorial integrity.

“Despite being a beacon of peace, stability and democracy in a region that is plagued by the activities of terrorists and extremist groups, Ghana must know she cannot be immune from terror attacks. She is determined however to deepen the religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence that exists between the majority Christian and the minority Muslim religious groupings in the country.

They are the hallmarks of our nation which we cherish,” President Akufo Addo said. The President further indicated that last year, security agencies in Ghana had to disrupt the activities of groups purporting to raise funds for Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, which turned out to be fundraising for terror-related activities.

President Akufo-Addo Pulse Ghana

As part of efforts aimed at dealing with the growing incidents of terrorist attacks in Africa, the President proposed a three-point agenda for the consideration of the forum, indicating that the quest to deal with terrorism cannot be limited to just military means, as vital as they are. Broader policies the President said, must be put in place to create opportunities and jobs for the youth if Ghana is to deal successful with the root causes of terrorism.

Focusing on education, the President said, “We have, as a matter of great urgency, to ensure education for all the youth of the continent. We are told that eighty-nine million young Africans of school-going age are not in school. That has to stop and stop now,” President Akufo Addo said. The structural transformation of the economies of African countries, and good governance in the nation-states of Africa, the President said, are the two other urgent challenges African leaders must endeavor to meet.