Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) has become an increasing national and regional security concern across West Africa. While Ghana has not experienced a major direct attack, growing threats in the Sahel highlight the need for proactive and locally rooted resilience measures. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play a key bridging role between communities and the state by delivering services, shaping narratives, providing early warning, and leading interventions that strengthen prevention, rehabilitation, community resilience, social cohesion, and the use of counter-narratives in target communities. They are therefore central to efforts directed at preventing and countering violent extremism (and terrorism) in the region.

OVER CONCENTRATION ON BORDERS AND EXTERNAL THREATS

PCVE approaches in Ghana are largely shaped by the perception that violent extremism originates from external sources. This threat framing has directed most interventions toward border security, with emphasis on preventing infiltration and addressing vulnerabilities at entry points and border communities. This typifies a traditional state-centric approach to security.  The tendency to concentrate excessively on border communities risks overlooking vulnerabilities in inner cities. Several examples illustrate this pattern. The first deadly attacks in Burkina Faso in January 2016 and Côte d’Ivoire in March 2016 occurred not in border areas but in the centres of Ouagadougou and Abidjan, respectively. Similarly, since 2015, when Ghana began recognising the potential threat of violent extremism, most individuals who have travelled or attempted to travel to join ISIS or JNIM have come from inner cities rather than border communities. For instance, Nazir Alema Nortey, the first Ghanaian to publicly declare allegiance to ISIS and announce his departure to Syria, was raised in Accra. Baba Adams, an ISIS recruit who was dissuaded a day before his planned departure, is a native of Wulensi in the Nanumba South District of the Northern Region. Approximately thirteen others who either left or attempted to leave Ghana to fight with terrorist groups also originated from inner cities, including Accra, Kumasi, Karaga, Tamale, and Wulensi.

In the last 5 years, Ghana’s approach to PCVE has been significantly disproportionate in favor of combat measures. This is evidenced by the Operation Conquered Fist, Eagle Claw, Operation Koundandglou I, II, III and IV. However, years of advocacy by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have contributed to greater state recognition of the role of civil society in security, security governance, and peacebuilding. This has led to a commitment to establish a CSO desk at the National Security Secretariat to strengthen coordination and collaboration between the two.

LEGAL AND  POLICY ENVIRONMENT

Ghana’s PCVE space consists of legal frameworks, institutional arrangements, and local governance and security initiatives. Under the legal response, frameworks such as the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008 (Act 762), the 2014 amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2008 (Act 749), and the Organized Crime Act of 2010, which prohibit the financing, recruitment, and support of terrorist activities.

Ghana’s National Security Strategy, adopted in 2021, is complemented by the National Framework for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism (NAFPCVET), which is designed to address violent extremism and terrorism in the country. The NAFPCVET identifies relevant stakeholders and clearly outlines the context, coordination structure, and roles and responsibilities.

Within this framework, the PREVENT pillar—alongside PRE-EMPT, PROTECT, and RESPOND—assigns a leading role to CSOs in education, awareness creation, and capacity-building for local community actors to strengthen resilience against radicalisation and recruitment. Additional reference instruments for PCVE efforts include the Cyber Security Act of 2020 (Act 1038), the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008 (Act 762), and the dictates of the Accra Initiative.

At the operational level, the Accra Initiative has undertaken various measures to strengthen border security. Counter-terrorism operations and exercises, such as “Operation Conquered Fist,” “Exercise Eagle Claw 2020,” and Operation Koudanlgou I, II, III, and IV, have been conducted to deter threats, enhance the capacity of security forces to prevent potential attacks, and address transnational crime in border regions.