By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A high level two-day Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security has come to an end in Ghana’s capital, Accra with leaders from African region committing to a united front against escalation in terrorism and violent extremism in West African sub-region.
At a communique issued on Sunday at the end of the summit which held from January 29 to 30, 2026, the leaders expressed concern that West Africa has become the “global epicentre” of terror attacks, noting that inaction is no more acceptable.
West Africa now records at least eight terror attacks daily, claiming an average of 44 lives, with more than half of all global terrorism-related deaths occurring in the region, the leaders stated.
“Recognising that the Western Africa Region and its immediate neighbours are connected through geography, trade routes, shared ecosystems, and communities whose livelihoods depend mainly on cross-border movements. Our region is currently the global epicentre of terrorism and violent extremism.
“On a daily basis, at least eight (8) terror attacks are recorded, which claims averagely forty-four (44) lives. More than half of all global terrorism-related deaths are recorded in our region. We are witnessing an alarming uptick in extremist attacks for which inaction is not an option,” the communiqué read.
The conference was chaired by Ghana’s President, John Mahama, with Presidents Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and Joseph Boakai of Liberia leading their respective delegations.
Representatives of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo also participated.
The leaders stressed that West African countries are bound together by geography, trade routes and shared ecosystems, and that insecurity in one state easily spills over into others.
“Fragmentation incurs heavy economic, social and security costs that diminish our collective problem-solving capacity.
“We must move beyond episodic diplomacy to a structured and permanent framework for cooperation,” the leaders said.
At the end of the meeting, participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation to confront evolving peace, security and governance challenges.
“Sustainable security in West Africa calls for a shift toward a human security approach, underpinned by regional solidarity, respect for sovereignty, and a people-centred, gender-responsive approach to peacebuilding,” the communiqué added.
On counterterrorism, the leaders agreed to boost intelligence and information sharing, harmonise legal frameworks and strengthen de-radicalisation programmes.
They also committed to regular meetings to review peace and security obligations and to improve cross-border prosecution of terrorism-related offences while safeguarding human rights.
