30/07/2026
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On Thursday, 23 July 2026, the Ghana Catholic Bishopsโ Conference through its Governance, Justice and Peace Directorate - National Catholic Secretariat, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Ghana Office convened the 2026 Sahel Peace Initiative-SPI National Forum in Accra bringing together government officials, security experts, religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and other key stakeholders to examine Ghana's preparedness against emerging security threats from the Sahel.
Held under the theme, "๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก: ๐ผ๐จ๐จ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐'๐จ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐จ", the forum served as a high-level platform for dialogue on the country's readiness to anticipate, prevent and respond to the growing security challenges emanating from the central Sahel.
Led by the keynote speaker; Maj. Gen. Timothy Ba-Taa-Banah and expert panel discussions, participants reflected on the evolving security landscape in West Africa, particularly the continued expansion of violent extremist activities across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and the potential implications for Ghana and other coastal states.
Discussions focused on strengthening national resilience through enhanced early warning systems, inter-agency coordination, inter-faith dialogue, community engagement and preventive measures that address both immediate security concerns and the underlying drivers of instability.
The National Forum forms part of the broader Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI), a regional peacebuilding programme implemented by the Catholic Church in five West African States. The initiative seeks to foster dialogue, promote social cohesion, strengthen community resilience and address the root causes of violent extremism across the Sahel and the wider West African region through collaborative action among governments, faith-based organisations, civil society and local communities.
