The Member of Parliament for Damongo and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has called on the government to intensify its commitment to the Accra Initiative, a regional security framework spearheaded by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to strengthen cooperation among West African coastal states.
The Accra Initiative brings together key coastal and Sahelian countries, including Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo, Mali and Benin, with the objective of building collective capacity to prevent cross-border terrorism and emerging extremist threats across the sub-region.
According to Jinapor, countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger were later integrated more fully into the framework, which, with support from international partners, has significantly enhanced regional intelligence sharing and preventive security coordination.
He stressed that the initiative remains largely preventive in nature, designed to curb extremist activities before they escalate into large-scale attacks.
Speaking on Joy FM’s News Night, Jinapor described the recent terrorist attack in Burkina Faso as a stark warning to Ghana’s national security architecture.
He urged security agencies to strengthen surveillance, deepen intelligence collaboration and enhance cross-border security operations to protect Ghana and its citizens, while contributing to broader regional stability.
His comments follow reports that about seven Ghanaian tomato traders travelling for business in Burkina Faso lost their lives in an attack by suspected terrorists, with several others sustaining injuries.
Jinapor emphasised that safeguarding Ghana must remain a top priority, noting that strong domestic security ultimately underpins sustainable regional peace, economic growth and investor confidence.
