The three-day national event, which marked the eighth regional review, seeks to solicit stakeholders’ contribution to the framework towards giving it a practicable national dimension for implementation.

The event funded through Project ICT shield, Interpol International, by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), with the objective to counter terrorism in West Africa from February 2022, aimed to introduce the Framework to participants, discuss optimal implementation strategies and gather recommendations.

Mr. Daniel Osei-Bonsu, Deputy Director of Fusion Centre of the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) emphasised the critical importance of the review process to the country, referencing the framework's establishment in approximately 10 years running.

Mr. Osei-Bonsu stressed the need for collective engagement to examine the framework and chart a course forward in countering terrorism and eradicating Violent Extremism and Terrorism (VET).

He highlighted countries surrounding Ghana that had fallen victim to VET, citing Burkina Faso’s loss of 70 per cent of its territory to terrorists, emerging threat of terrorism particularly in Togo and Benin, while acknowledging that the country was not currently under immediate pressure.

He said the presence of marginalised individuals within the country, who believed their fundamental freedoms were trampled upon compounded the issues and not the external factors alone.

Mr. Osei-Bonsu drew attention to the radicalization of young people and the surrounding factors, emphasizing the need to mitigate the various nuances of radicalization stating these issues, among others, must be addressed to establish a robust framework for combating terrorism.

He said Volta region had been classified under zone three, and that organized crime, specifically the smuggling of cocoa, had been identified as a threat, making the region receive elevated priority.

 He said the National Security was suspicious that proceeds from cocoa smuggling could become the fuel or oxygen to finance terrorism activities within or outside the borders of the country that demands prevention.

Ms Leila Marzo, Project Administrator for Project ICT shield at Interpol headquarters, Lyon, France, expressed gratitude to the National Security Council Secretariat for forging partnership with her entity particularly the National Counterterrorism Fusion Centre, for initiating the activities with support from Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Accra.

She outlined Interpol’s four broad programmes, which included counterterrorism, cybercrime, organized and emerging crime, and financing crime, financial crime, and corruption.

Regarding counterterrorism, Ms Marzo stated that their strategy involved preventing and disrupting terrorist activities by identifying members of terrorist networks and their affiliates, targeting their funding mechanisms, and hindering their ability to travel, traffic weapons, and use cybercrime.

She explained that Interpol's counterterrorism operations and initiatives were based on border security support, biometric collection, and battlefield information exchange to support member countries' efforts.

She anticipated positive outcomes from the workshop to shape the national discourse towards preventing VET and reiterated Interpol’s commitment to continued cooperation with Ghana.

Mr. James Gunu, the Volta Regional Minister, in an address read on his behalf by Mr. Augustus Awity, Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) acknowledged the increasing threats of Violent Extremism and Terrorism (VET) in the subregion, emphasising that the Volta region was not immune to security threats.

He stressed the need for vigilance and stated that the consultation, bringing together all stakeholders, was therefore necessary and asserted that it was everyone’s duty to contribute to the discourse.

Mr. Gunu affirmed the VRCC’s and government’s commitments to ensuring the safety of their communities against VET.