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The Ghana Police Service has stepped up effort in building its capacity to fight the menace of terrorism in the West Africa Sub Region.
Eight officers from  the Ghana Police Service are currently undergoing training on counter terrorism and transnational crimes in Spain.

The move is coming on the back of recent upsurge in activities of terrorism in the West Africa Sub Region.

A statement issued by the Ghana Police service said over fifty personnel from the security agencies and the ambulance service will subsequently benefit from trainer of trainees course this year.

“As part of efforts to curtail any terrorist activities in the country, eight Police officers of the Counter Terrorism Directorate of the Ghana Police Service have commenced training on counter terrorism and transnational crimes in Spain. The Trainer of Trainees (TOT) course, sponsored by the European Union seeks to support Ghana to build capacity and skills to deliver such trainings locally,” it said.

The statement added, “A total of fifty-four personnel from Ghana’s Security Agencies and the Ambulance Service are expected to be trained this year. The TOT is planned to cover more personnel for the next four years. Kenya and Senegal are also beneficiaries of similar sponsorship package.”

Despite the significant efforts made by the ECOWAS Member States, particularly those on the frontline, terrorist attacks doubled between 2020 and the first five months of 2021.

Dr Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, said over that period, there had already been more than 700 attacks and more than 2,000 civilian and military deaths, with an increase in the number of displaced persons.

He said those attacks occurred largely in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, spreading to other coastal countries.

Dr Brou said this in his address at the 59th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Accra.

The Session was formally opened by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

It is was attended by all ECOWAS Member States, with the exception of Mali, due to a military coup d’etat in that country.

Dr Brou said the implementation of the Regional Plan of Action to Combat Terrorism, which ECOWAS leaders adopted in September 2019, had commenced and should complement the significant efforts made by each Member State.

“It would be appreciated if the planned funding could be mobilised to speed up its implementation,” he said.

He said keeping with the usual practice, the 59th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government would consider the reports of the Council of Ministers as well as specific reports submitted to ECOWAS leaders for guidance and decisions.

“In this respect, the preparatory work for this Summit centred on five major issues. Unfortunately, the security issue is still a concern for our region,” he said.