Security experts from 10 West African countries are in Accra for a high-level conference organised by Ghana-based NGO, Centre for Intelligence and Security Analysis (CISA).
The delegations include the Directors-General and their representatives of the security apparatus of Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
The two-day international conference billed for Thursday, November 7 and Friday, November 8 at the Lancaster Hotel, Accra, is focused on 'the new paradigms for ensuring peace and security in Africa - the need for closer collaboration with non-governmental security and intelligence organisations.' Welcoming the participants to the conference, CISA CEO Rasheed Seidu Inusah, who previously served as an Ambassador, Director-General of the Research Department of Ghana's Foreign Affairs Ministry and Director-General of the host nation's National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), said: "There is no doubt that our collective security as Africans is at a pivotal moment in our history," thus, making such an international conference timely.
Mr Inusah, a lawyer, explained: "West African countries are experiencing mounting challenges in the form of political instability, insurgencies, foreign interference, and socio-economic disruptions," which, he noted, "have led to increased geopolitical instability and fractured alliances," and, therefore, "an urgent rethink" of national security was necessary "to overcome the myriad of threats to our region." The security challenges the region faces today, Mr Inusah acknowledged, are "complex in nature and multifaceted in scope," but "present us with new opportunities for meaningful collaboration and cooperation between governments and non-governmental organisations." The conference, he pointed out, provides the region and Africa in general, with "a unique opportunity to reflect and exchange ideas on how to advance this collaborative effort." CISA Ghana CEO Ambassador Rasheed Seidu Inusah (L) with Burkina Faso's former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Ambassador Olivia Ragnaghnèwendé Rouamba In his expert estimation, "It is no longer an option but an imperative that we take these steps," adding: "This is primarily because our collective challenges have moved beyond the traditional to new forms of security challenges that are constantly evolving." The deliberative topics for the conference are security contagion, which, Mr Inusah said "highlights the interconnectedness of regional security and the importance of cooperative approaches to addressing cross-border threats;" the twin phenomena of misinformation & disinformation, which he indicated "fuel" the former; and effective resource management that "can boost our resilience to such threats." "We can address these issues holistically to develop a regional security strategy that will promote stability across our continent," Mr Inusah indicated.