The Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building has welcomed the reorganisation of the National Security Council Secretariat, calling for a stronger focus on emerging security threats facing Ghana.
The Centre said the restructuring, which includes the appointment of Maj. Gen. William Ayamdo (Rtd.) as Deputy National Security Coordinator responsible for Operations, presents an opportunity to improve intelligence coordination, operational effectiveness and accountability within the country’s security architecture.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Adib Saani, the Centre congratulated the newly appointed officials and urged them to use their new roles to strengthen Ghana’s capacity to anticipate and prevent security threats.
It identified violent extremism and the possible spillover of terrorist activities from the Sahel as one of the most pressing threats requiring urgent attention.
“The Centre believes that one of the most urgent priorities for the new leadership must be the growing threat of violent extremism and possible terrorist spillover from the Sahel into Ghana,” the statement said.
The Centre pointed to developments in Burkina Faso and other parts of the Sahel, saying Ghana would need sustained intelligence gathering, stronger border surveillance and closer regional intelligence cooperation to guard against potential threats.
It also called for greater investment in communities in northern Ghana that could be vulnerable to violent extremism.
Beyond terrorism, the Jatikay Centre said the new leadership must pay closer attention to chieftaincy, land and communal disputes, which it described as significant internal security risks.
According to the Centre, Ghana has hundreds of unresolved chieftaincy, land and ethnic disputes, with several classified as high-risk conflicts capable of destabilising communities.
The statement further raised concerns about organised crime, illicit financial flows, money laundering, illegal gold trading and cross-border criminal networks.
“These activities may appear primarily economic, but they have significant implications for national security because their proceeds can sustain corruption, organised criminal groups and other destabilising activities,” it said.
The Centre said the success of the reorganisation should not be measured solely by the changes in personnel but by whether the new leadership can improve Ghana’s ability to identify and respond to threats before they escalate.
“The reorganisation of the National Security Council Secretariat should ultimately be judged not merely by changes in personnel, but by improvements in anticipating threats before they escalate, disrupting organised criminal networks, strengthening intelligence coordination and protecting citizens while respecting the rule of law and human rights,” the statement said.
The Jatikay Centre said it was prepared to contribute its research and civil society expertise to efforts aimed at strengthening Ghana’s human and national security.
