The Deputy Minister for the Interior, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, has urged West African nations to convert their borders from mere physical barriers into “intelligent gateways” that effectively balance security, trade, and human mobility in the digital era.
While addressing attendees at the West Africa Border Security Week in Accra, the Deputy Minister remarked that the theme, ‘Intelligent Border Management: Balancing Security, Trade and Mobility in a Digital Age’, transcends a mere conference topic and poses a strategic challenge for the future of West Africa.
He stated, “The same routes utilized by legitimate travelers and traders can also be taken advantage of by traffickers, smugglers, organized criminal networks, and terrorists. We must facilitate the movement of legitimate individuals and goods while simultaneously making it increasingly challenging for criminals to exploit our borders. This is the core principle of intelligent border management.”
The Deputy Minister highlighted that the future of border security must be driven by intelligence, technology, and interoperability, as criminal organizations disregard borders. They share information, leverage technology, and exploit institutional gaps.
“Our response must therefore be equally advanced. We cannot combat twenty-first-century criminal networks with fragmented systems from the twentieth century,” he added.
Pointing to Ghana’s advancements, Terlabi mentioned that President John Dramani Mahama recently inaugurated the country’s new E-Visa platform, transitioning visa processing from manual methods to a technology-driven system designed to enhance service delivery and bolster security.
He also emphasized Ghana’s contribution to regional integration, noting that Ghana is one of the seven ECOWAS Member States that have implemented the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card. He called for enhanced interoperability of systems to facilitate real-time information exchange across borders.
The Deputy Minister underscored that security and trade are not opposing goals. “An insecure border deters investment. An unpredictable border raises the cost of conducting business. The guiding principle should be to expedite legitimate trade while complicating illicit trade,” he remarked.
“The security of Ghana is intertwined with the security of our neighboring countries. The prosperity of Ghana is bolstered by the prosperity of our region. We must transition from viewing our borders merely as dividing lines to recognizing them as intelligent gateways that secure, connect, and enhance our region. This is the challenge we face. And this is the future we must collaboratively construct,” he asserted.
The West Africa Border Security Week convened Ministers, Heads of Immigration, Customs, Police, and Security Agencies, as well as ECOWAS and development partners, to establish a new agenda for border management in the region.
