Governments in West Africa and the Sahel region announced late Friday a multipronged approach to combating terrorism and violent extremism, which have become major concerns for their countries. The announcement came in a communiqué at the end of a two day High Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security held in Accra, Ghana’s capital.
The governments said in the communiqué they are resolved to strengthen regional cooperation to address evolving peace, security, and governance challenges to rebuild regional stability. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of Ghana read the final joint communiqué at the closing session on January 30, 2026, following deliberations by Heads of State and Government from Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, alongside representatives from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
The participating states highlighted the need to shift toward a human security approach underpinned by regional solidarity, respect for sovereignty, and a people centered, gender responsive approach to peacebuilding, security, and counterterrorism. This represents a significant departure from purely military focused responses that have dominated previous regional security efforts.
Recognizing the inextricable link between transnational organized crimes and violent extremism, the countries agreed to strengthen regular meetings of states in the region to review peace and security commitments. They also committed to strengthen intelligence and information sharing to enhance surveillance capabilities to preempt these crimes before they occur.
The West African nations agreed to reinforce harmonization of legal frameworks to enhance cross border prosecution of terrorism related offenses while safeguarding human rights. This commitment addresses concerns that different legal systems across countries have created loopholes exploited by criminal networks operating across multiple jurisdictions.
In a significant move on border security, the conference committed to considering adoption of hot pursuit bilateral and multilateral agreements to support the fight against transnational crimes. Ablakwa stated that the high level conference is committed to considering adopting hot pursuit arrangements through bilateral and multilateral agreements to combat the fluid movement of extremist and criminal networks.
Member states agreed to design a foundational memorandum of understanding and protocols on cooperation and security within six calendar months after the high level consultative conference. This foundational document will serve as the basis for further agreements and provide the legal framework for enhanced cooperation among participating nations.
The Foreign Affairs Minister has been tasked to lead the process of drafting the foundational Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) within three months, with a view to final adoption within six months. This timeline reflects urgency given the deteriorating security situation across the region.
The communiqué stressed that the region’s interconnected geography, shared trade routes and cross border communities make coordinated responses unavoidable. It warned that continued fragmentation carries heavy economic, social and security costs for all nations in West Africa and the Sahel.
Leaders acknowledged that West Africa has become the global epicenter of terrorism and violent extremism, recording at least eight attacks daily and accounting for more than half of terrorism related deaths worldwide. According to statistics presented during the conference, the region loses an average of 44 lives daily to terror attacks.
Over the past 15 years, terrorist attacks in the region have increased by 1,266 percent, with the death toll rising by a staggering 2,860 percent. The region now accounts for between 47 and 59 percent of all recorded global terrorist incidents, indicating that the epicenter of global terrorism has shifted from the Middle East to West Africa and the Sahel.
Beyond military measures, the communiqué emphasized a shift towards a human security approach, prioritizing food security, healthcare, education, job creation and inclusive governance. Leaders pledged to strengthen local governance to ensure state presence is felt through service delivery, not only security enforcement.
Recognizing climate change as a threat multiplier, the conference agreed to integrate climate and food security into regional peace planning. Participants committed to develop a collective disaster preparedness and humanitarian response framework for displaced populations affected by conflict and environmental disasters.
President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, who chaired the conference, stated during the opening that the gathering was being held at a defining moment in the region where leadership must be anchored in dialogue, solidarity and unwavering commitment to citizens. He emphasized the need to renew collective resolve to act decisively in solidarity aimed at addressing common threats faced by the region.
Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang 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. She said the credibility of regional security efforts now depends on governments’ ability to translate shared analysis into coordinated action.
The Vice President warned that fragmented and uncoordinated security responses in West Africa and the Sahel are no longer sustainable. She called for stronger preventive, intelligence led and cooperative approaches to confront the region’s growing security challenges.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak described the meeting as a defining moment for the subregion, noting that terrorism and violent extremism have intensified in scale, sophistication and geographic reach. He highlighted escalating attacks in the central Sahel, including assaults on military installations, civilian communities and critical infrastructure, which have led to mass displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions.
The conference followed a consolidated security assessment presented by regional intelligence chiefs, whose findings informed the draft outcome document. That document outlines proposed mechanisms for cooperation and serves as a basis for long term regional engagement, laying groundwork for a more coherent, accountable, and people centered security architecture across West Africa and the Sahel.
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 Foreign Minister said fragmentation, suspicion and limited information sharing diminish the regional collective ability to address shared issues and undermine economic and social advantages of integration. He called for building a new culture of transparency, confidence, and actionable intelligence sharing among nations.
The communiqué was formally issued in Accra on January 30, 2026, on the authority of the participating Heads of State and representatives. The summit concluded with a renewed sense of regional solidarity and determination to implement the agreed outcomes, marking what participants described as a critical step toward strengthened cooperation and collective security in the region.
