Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang on Thursday opened the ECOWAS Ministerial Meeting on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra, bringing together ministers, intelligence chiefs, and Heads of State from across West Africa.
Addressing the participants, the Vice President emphasized the inseparable link between diplomacy and security, noting that contemporary threats—including violent extremism, terrorism, organised crime, and cross-border insecurity—transcend national borders and demand collective action.
“We require integrated approaches that align security strategies, foreign policy, and development agendas. Fragmented, siloed responses are no longer sufficient,” she stressed.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang highlighted the importance of timely information sharing, joint intelligence analysis, and coordinated responses, describing prevention as both practical and cost-effective. She urged ministers, security officers, and intelligence chiefs to design regional initiatives with clear implementation plans, defined responsibilities, and alignment with national priorities. “Without these, cooperation risks remaining aspirational rather than operational,” she said.
Several heads of state are in Accra and are expected to join President John Dramani Mahama for a high-level session on Friday, which will build on the outcomes of the ministerial meeting.
“No country can secure itself in isolation. This moment presents an opportunity to rethink Pan-Africanism not as an abstract ideal, but as a security and economic imperative, grounded in cooperation, adaptability, and shared progress,” the Vice President added.
The meeting is set to shape policy discussions on regional security, aiming to strengthen collaboration among West African states and foster a proactive, coordinated approach to emerging threats.
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