The Danish Special Envoy to the Sahel and Great Lake, Birgitte Nygaard Markussen has held high-level discussions with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) on the urgent need for African regional blocs to strengthen collective responses to the growing insurgency across the Sahel.
The security-focused engagement took place during the envoy’s visit to the Centre, where she interacted with KAIPTC’s leadership, research, and training teams. Discussions centred on deepening regional cooperation in peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and maritime security as extremist violence continues to destabilise parts of West Africa.
Denmark’s partnership with the institute spans more than two decades, with recent cooperation focusing particularly on research and capacity-building initiatives in maritime security across the Gulf of Guinea and the wider West African region. The longstanding collaboration reflects Denmark’s commitment to strengthening Africa-led peace and security frameworks.
During the meeting, the role of regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) was highlighted as crucial in coordinating responses to the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel, which has increasingly become the global epicentre of terrorism and violent extremism.
The envoy’s visit comes at a time when Ghana has faced rising cross-border and maritime security concerns, prompting the government to explore additional measures to strengthen border surveillance and safeguard its territorial waters.
Recently, joint naval security teams rescued more than 70 fishermen who were attacked by pirates between Senya Beraku and Dampase in Ghana’s Central Region. The assailants reportedly seized seven outboard motors, five generators, mobile phones, fuel, and cash from the fishermen, who were operating seven fishing canoes originating from Tema, Chorkor, and Senya Beraku.
In a separate incident earlier in March 2025, pirates attacked the fishing vessel Mengxin 1 and kidnapped its captain, chief mate, and chief engineer—three Chinese nationals. The victims were later rescued through coordinated security operations, but the incident renewed calls for enhanced maritime patrols and stronger international cooperation to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Despite the growing insecurity in the Sahel, Ghana has maintained a diplomatic approach centred on dialogue and bridge-building with neighbouring states. Accra’s foreign policy toward the region has emphasised engagement rather than isolation, even as several Sahelian countries experienced military takeovers and shifting regional alliances.
In February 2026, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre further strengthened its regional engagement by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of the Special Envoy of the President of Ghana to the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES).
The partnership aims to align KAIPTC’s training and research expertise with the evolving security realities in the Sahel. It will focus on strengthening human and institutional capacity in areas such as counter-terrorism, prevention of violent extremism, migration management, border security, and inter-agency coordination.
Training programmes under the collaboration are expected to respond to real-time security challenges, equipping personnel from AES member states and related institutions with practical operational skills and strategic policy insight.
Beyond training, the partnership will prioritise policy research and analysis, recognising that effective and sustainable security responses must be grounded in evidence-based understanding of the region’s complex political, social, and security dynamics.
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