Ghana is strengthening international partnerships to protect its borders as security threats from the Sahel continue to escalate.
The Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Mr Samuel Basintale Amadu, led a high-level delegation of senior immigration officers to Rome for strategic talks with the Director of the Central Directorate of Prevention of the Polizia di Stato.
The meeting, which also involved representatives of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, focused on growing security concerns in the Sahel and coastal West Africa, including terrorism, arms smuggling, irregular migration and transnational organised crime.
According to a statement issued in Accra, participants expressed concern over Ghana’s northern border vulnerabilities as instability worsens in neighbouring Sahel countries, increasing the risk of extremist infiltration.
Mr Amadu reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to strengthening border surveillance, intelligence gathering, tactical readiness and inter-agency coordination to respond to emerging threats.
Italian authorities and officials from United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism shared global best practices on border management, operational coordination and specialised anti-terror training.
The discussions also stressed the importance of balancing national security measures with human rights protections, lawful migration systems and stronger community engagement.
Officials reviewed progress on the Italy-Ghana-UNOCT Border Security and Management cooperation project, with discussions centred on training schedules, operational targets and coordination strategies.
Partners also reaffirmed plans to support specialised training programmes, trainer development initiatives and the creation of standardised manuals for Ghana’s Immigration Tactical Training School.
The meeting ended with a renewed commitment from all parties to deepen cooperation and strengthen Ghana’s capacity to combat terrorism and secure its borders within the wider regional security framework.
