Speaking at the opening of a two-day ECOWAS Ministerial Meeting on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra on Thursday, Opoku-Agyemang emphasized the interconnected nature of contemporary security threats facing the sub-region. The high-level gathering has convened heads of state and government, ministers, and intelligence chiefs from across the Economic Community of West African States.
The vice president outlined the evolving security landscape confronting member nations, highlighting violent extremism, terrorism, organized crime, and cross-border insecurity as transnational challenges requiring unified responses. She stressed that diplomacy and security have become inseparable in addressing these complex threats.
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"We require integrated approaches that align security strategies, foreign policy, and development agendas. Fragmented, siloed responses are no longer sufficient," Opoku-Agyemang told the assembled officials, underlining the need for comprehensive coordination among ECOWAS member states.
Central to the vice president's message was the importance of proactive measures in regional security. She identified timely information sharing, joint analysis, and coordinated responses as essential components of effective prevention strategies, which she described as both practical and cost-effective compared to reactive interventions.
Opoku-Agyemang challenged the ministers, security officers, and intelligence chiefs to move beyond theoretical frameworks toward actionable solutions. She called for proposed regional initiatives to be designed with clear implementation pathways, supported by well-defined roles, robust institutions, and alignment with individual national priorities.
"Without these, cooperation risks remaining aspirational rather than operational," the vice president cautioned, pointing to the gap between stated intentions and practical outcomes that has sometimes characterized regional collaboration efforts.
The ministerial discussions will inform a high-level session scheduled for Friday, where President John Dramani Mahama will join several heads of state to review recommendations and chart the path forward for regional security cooperation.
In her concluding remarks, Opoku-Agyemang positioned the meeting as a pivotal opportunity to redefine Pan-Africanism for the contemporary era. She urged participants to view the philosophy not as an abstract ideal but as a concrete security and economic imperative grounded in cooperation, adaptability, and shared progress among member nations.
"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 stated.
The ECOWAS gathering comes at a time when West African nations face mounting security pressures from multiple sources, making effective regional coordination increasingly critical to stability and development across the sub-region. The outcomes of the ministerial meeting are expected to shape policy decisions and operational frameworks for enhanced security cooperation among member states.
"We require integrated approaches that align security strategies, foreign policy, and development agendas. Fragmented, siloed responses are no longer sufficient," Opoku-Agyemang told the assembled officials, underlining the need for comprehensive coordination among ECOWAS member states.
Central to the vice president's message was the importance of proactive measures in regional security. She identified timely information sharing, joint analysis, and coordinated responses as essential components of effective prevention strategies, which she described as both practical and cost-effective compared to reactive interventions.
"Without these, cooperation risks remaining aspirational rather than operational," the vice president cautioned, pointing to the gap between stated intentions and practical outcomes that has sometimes characterized regional collaboration efforts.
The ministerial discussions will inform a high-level session scheduled for Friday, where President John Dramani Mahama will join several heads of state to review recommendations and chart the path forward for regional security cooperation.
In her concluding remarks, Opoku-Agyemang positioned the meeting as a pivotal opportunity to redefine Pan-Africanism for the contemporary era. She urged participants to view the philosophy not as an abstract ideal but as a concrete security and economic imperative grounded in cooperation, adaptability, and shared progress among member nations.
"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 stated.
The ECOWAS gathering comes at a time when West African nations face mounting security pressures from multiple sources, making effective regional coordination increasingly critical to stability and development across the sub-region. The outcomes of the ministerial meeting are expected to shape policy decisions and operational frameworks for enhanced security cooperation among member states.
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