By James Amoh Junior
Accra, Jan. 31, GNA – Leaders of West African states have agreed to establish a permanent and structured framework for regional cooperation to confront terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organised crime.
Insecurity continues to claim lives daily and undermine peace, stability and development across the sub-region.
The commitment was reached at the end of a Summit of Heads of State and Government held as part of the High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra.
It brought together Heads of State, ministers, intelligence chiefs and development partners demonstrating the urgency of moving beyond fragmented and episodic responses towards a coordinated, sustained and people-centred regional security architecture.
Decisions of the Summit were approved by the Heads of State and Government of Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and representatives of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo, who met in Accra from January 29 to 30, 2026, under the chairmanship of President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana.
The leaders acknowledged that West Africa and its immediate neighbours were facing one of the gravest security challenges in recent history, with terrorism and violent extremism spreading rapidly across borders, exploiting shared trade routes, porous frontiers and vulnerable communities whose livelihoods depended largely on cross-border movement and regional integration.
A communiqué, read by Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana, said the delegations reflected the strong political commitment at the highest level to collective regional action in the face of escalating insecurity.
The meeting was preceded by deliberations involving ministers responsible for foreign affairs, defence and security, as well as intelligence chiefs of participating states, with contributions from the African Union Commission, the United Nations Development Programme and civil society organisations.
The leaders noted with deep concern that the region had become the global epicentre of terrorism and violent extremism, with at least eight terror attacks recorded daily, claiming an average of about 44 lives.
They further observed that more than half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide were now occurring in West Africa, describing the trend as alarming and unacceptable.
They stressed that geography, shared ecosystems, economic corridors and interconnected communities meant that insecurity in one country quickly spilled over into neighbouring states, making unilateral and purely national responses ineffective.
The conference therefore resolved to rebuild and deepen sub-regional collaboration through the establishment of a permanent framework for cooperation focused on resilience-building, confidence restoration and addressing the structural drivers of insecurity.
The framework, the leaders agreed, would move the region away from episodic diplomacy and limited operational coordination towards a predictable and institutionalised system for developing shared programmes, standards and infrastructure priorities, while managing common risks through sustained engagement among states at the centre of counterterrorism and stabilisation efforts.
The communiqué warned that fragmentation imposed heavy economic, social and security costs on the region, diminishing collective problem-solving capacity and weakening the benefits of regional integration.
The leaders said insecurity continued to disrupt trade, displaced communities, strained humanitarian systems and undermined public confidence in state institutions.
On peace, security and governance, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation to address evolving challenges and rebuild stability.
They agreed that sustainable security in West Africa required a decisive shift towards a human security approach, anchored in regional solidarity, respect for sovereignty and people-centred, gender-responsive peace-building strategies.
In the area of counterterrorism, the conference recognised the close links between violent extremism and transnational organised crime and committed to strengthening regular meetings among states to review peace and security commitments.
The leaders also agreed to deepen intelligence and information sharing and to harmonise legal frameworks to support the cross-border investigation and prosecution of terrorism-related offences, while safeguarding human rights and the rule of law.
They further committed to strengthening the implementation of de-radicalisation and prevention programmes, recognising the importance of addressing recruitment, financing and ideological drivers of violent extremism alongside security operations.
On border security, the leaders acknowledged the fluid movement of criminal and extremist elements across porous borders and agreed to consider adopting “hot pursuit” arrangements through bilateral, minilateral or multilateral agreements to enhance joint operational effectiveness.
They also resolved to design a foundational memorandum of understanding and associated protocols on cooperation and security within six months of the conference.
The communiqué said the draft foundational memorandum of understanding would be formulated within three months for consideration by Heads of State and Government, under a process to be led by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The document will serve as the legal and institutional basis for future bilateral, minilateral and multilateral security cooperation across the region.
The leaders also pledged to strengthen mechanisms to combat all forms of trafficking, including narcotics, human and arms trafficking, which continue to fuel organised crime, instability and violent conflict across West Africa.
Recognising that military responses alone could not guarantee lasting peace, the conference committed states to prioritising human security in national strategies, including food security, healthcare, job creation and education.
The delegates also agreed to bolster local governance, particularly in border and vulnerable communities, to ensure that the presence of the state was felt through service delivery, development and inclusion, rather than security enforcement alone.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba
