Enhancing Community Resilience and Social Cohesion amongst Select Border Communities in Northern Ghana

Violent extremism in the Sahel has increased exponentially in recent years. Since 2019, violence has quickly spread southward, with countries located along the Gulf of Guinea experiencing increasing insecurity along their northern borders with Burkina Faso. Although no attacks have taken place in Ghana, border communities in the north are particularly vulnerable to infiltration and exploitation by violent extremists owing to their economic insecurity, including persistent multidimensional poverty and youth unemployment; health insecurity exacerbated by the arrival of COVID-19; and community and personal insecurities due to a lack of social services and the rule of law. ​

The key objectives of the programme are to: (i) strengthen trust and understanding between the three participating border communities and their respective local authorities on existing vulnerabilities and grievances, as well as how to address them; (ii) improve the capacity of community platforms to facilitate dialogue between communities, local authorities and border security officials; (iii) enhance awareness and commitment to mainstream the human security approach and gender equality into the national border management strategy; and (iv) increase knowledge and skills amongst participating border communities to withstand existing risks and vulnerabilities, and mitigate and prevent future challenges. ​

KEY MATERIALS 
Programme Summary
30 May 2023 Press release, “Border community residents collaborate on livelihood projects for social cohesion”
Security Perception: Vulnerability Assessment in Selected Border Communities in Northern Ghana