Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang has called on the political leadership of West Africa and the Sahel to take proactive efforts together against violent extremism plaguing the region. Speaking at the opening of the High Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra on Thursday, January 29, 2026, the Vice President emphasized that effective regional cooperation is needed with timely information sharing, joint analysis, and coordinated responses to win the war against terror.
Opoku Agyemang told participants at the two day ministerial meeting that security challenges within the region, including violent extremism, terrorism, organized crime, cyber threats, and persistent youth unemployment, do not respect borders, institutional mandates, or traditional policy silos. The conference represents a significant effort to align national priorities with regional security needs and to move beyond fragmented engagement toward a structured system capable of managing shared risks.
In this context, leadership requires more than responding to immediate pressures, Opoku Agyemang said. It calls for foresight and coordination to ensure that security strategies, foreign policy, and development agendas reinforce one another rather than operate in isolation. Acting together and proactively helps us identify risks earlier, ease the load on national systems, and maintain stability at a lower cost than responding after problems occur, she added.
The Vice President challenged West African and Sahelian states to move beyond declarations and adopt a results driven framework that delivers tangible security outcomes for citizens across the region. This ministerial meeting sits at the heart of the conference, she stated. This is where analysis must be translated into policy direction and where national priorities are aligned to inform regional choices. Your task is to provide guidance that strengthens regional security, supports effective cooperation and ensures that our efforts are both credible and actionable.
Opoku Agyemang noted that the credibility of regional security efforts now depends on governments’ ability to translate shared analysis into coordinated action. She further noted that prevention must underpin future cooperation, describing it as both a strategic and economic imperative. Early action, supported by timely information sharing and joint risk analysis, reduces the cost of instability and eases pressure on national systems, she explained.
While the challenges ahead are serious, they are not beyond our ability to handle, Opoku Agyemang said. With ongoing political dedication, coordinated efforts, and a focus on practical results, our region can strengthen its foundations and move with greater confidence toward peace and prosperity. The Vice President emphasized that security challenges confronting the region are no longer confined to borders or single sectors, making isolated national responses ineffective.
Also addressing the meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa urged West African and Sahelian states to anchor regional security cooperation in Pan African values, local ownership and long term institution building. He said the region must move beyond fragmented engagement and episodic diplomacy to a structured system capable of managing shared risks and sustaining trust among states.
The conference follows a consolidated security assessment presented by regional intelligence chiefs, whose findings are expected to inform the draft outcome document. That document will outline proposed mechanisms for cooperation and serve as a basis for long term regional engagement, laying the groundwork for a more coherent, accountable, and people centered security architecture across West Africa and the Sahel.
Recommendations from the joint ministerial meeting, coupled with those from the meeting of security and intelligence chiefs held earlier, would inform the decision by the heads of state of the West Africa and Sahel region at their meeting in Accra on Friday, January 30, 2026. The heads of state summit represents the culmination of weeks of diplomatic preparation and technical consultations aimed at establishing a new framework for regional security cooperation.
The Accra conference comes at a critical time for West Africa, as the region grapples with escalating violence from jihadist groups, particularly in the Sahel. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023 after military coups, withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January 2024. Their departure has raised concerns about the future of regional cooperation on security matters.
Despite these challenges, Ghana has positioned itself as a key mediator and host for regional security dialogue. The country has maintained relatively stable security conditions compared to its Sahel neighbors and has sought to play a constructive role in addressing the broader regional security crisis. President John Dramani Mahama, who assumed office in January 2025, has made regional security a priority for his administration.
The conference brings together ministers responsible for foreign affairs, defense, and security from across the West African and Sahel regions, along with representatives from regional organizations and international partners. The gathering represents one of the most comprehensive attempts to date to forge a unified response to the multifaceted security challenges facing the region.
The draft outcome document being prepared for heads of state consideration is expected to include concrete proposals for intelligence sharing mechanisms, joint response capabilities, and coordination frameworks that can operate even amid political tensions. It will also address the underlying drivers of instability, including poverty, youth unemployment, and governance challenges that create conditions for extremist recruitment.
The Vice President’s emphasis on moving from declarations to action reflects growing frustration among regional leaders and citizens with the gap between security commitments and actual results. Previous regional summits and initiatives have produced numerous communiques and action plans, but implementation has often lagged, allowing security conditions to deteriorate.
As the conference concluded its ministerial phase on Friday morning, attention turned to the heads of state summit where political leaders would make final decisions on the framework for enhanced regional cooperation. The success of this initiative will depend not only on the commitments made in Accra but on sustained political will and practical implementation in the months and years ahead.
