Secure borders, safer West Africa
The call by the Minister for the Interior, Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, for stronger cooperation among West African countries to combat transnational organised crime is timely.
The Minister made the call in Accra yesterday at the opening of a two-day regional workshop on cross-border cooperation frameworks, organised under the European Union-funded Strengthening and Harmonising Integrated Border Management Frameworks and Technical Expertise in West Africa (SHIFT) project.
The workshop brought together representatives from Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo to share experiences, identify common priorities and explore ways of improving border management.
Mr Muntaka said stronger collaboration was needed not only to tackle transnational organised crime but also to tighten border management and ensure safe, orderly and regular migration across the sub-region.
The message deserves serious attention. Criminal networks do not recognise national boundaries.
Drugs, illicit firearms, trafficked persons and other illegal goods can move from one country to another, exploiting gaps in border controls and weaknesses in coordination.
No country can effectively tackle such threats on its own.
The Ghanaian Times, therefore, welcomes the emphasis on coordinated efforts, improved infrastructure and adequate logistics to address shared security and migration challenges.
But the real test will come after the workshop.
West Africa has held many meetings on security. What is needed now is practical cooperation in which information is shared promptly, suspicious movements are tracked across borders and security agencies can act together when threats emerge.
The SHIFT project provides an opportunity to strengthen that cooperation.
The initiative seeks to improve integrated border management and strengthen coordination among participating countries.
However, such efforts must go beyond training and policy discussions.
Countries in the sub-region need reliable channels through which immigration services, police, customs, intelligence agencies and other relevant institutions can exchange information quickly and lawfully.
Border security also requires investment in personnel. Technology and surveillance equipment are important, but they cannot replace properly trained and adequately resourced officers who understand the terrain and can identify emerging threats.
Border communities must equally be treated as partners.
Residents living along the borders are often best placed to identify unusual activities and can provide valuable information when they have confidence in security agencies.
At the same time, stronger border security must not make legitimate movement and trade unnecessarily difficult.
Millions of West Africans depend on cross-border trade and movement for their livelihoods. Traders, farmers, transport operators, students and families need borders that are secure, efficient and predictable.
The challenge, therefore, is to keep criminals out while allowing legitimate travellers and goods to move with minimal unnecessary delays.
The four countries participating in the SHIFT project, Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo have an opportunity to demonstrate what effective regional cooperation can achieve.
The EU-funded project, valued at about €7.3 million, should be used to deliver practical improvements in border management and regional security.
Governments must now give the initiative the political backing and resources required to succeed.
Clear targets should be set for intelligence sharing, joint operations, border infrastructure, training and community engagement.
Security threats will not wait for another conference.
The success of regional cooperation should not be measured by the number of workshops held, but by the criminal networks disrupted, victims protected, legitimate travellers facilitated and communities made safer.
You can now read the *Ghanaian Times* and *The Spectator* newspapers digitally on [TimesNewsPlus](https://timesnewsplus.com/newspapers).
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
