West African leaders agree on permanent regional security framework

West African leaders have agreed to establish a permanent regional security framework to counter terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crime, as they warned that the sub-region has become the global epicentre of terrorist violence and can no longer rely on ad-hoc cooperation.

The agreement was reached at the end of a High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security held in Accra, Ghana, from January 29 to 30, 2026, involving the Heads of State and Government of Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, alongside representatives of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.

The meeting was chaired by Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, while President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and President Joseph Boakai of Liberia led their respective delegations.

In a joint communiqué issued at the end of the conference, the leaders said West Africa and its immediate neighbours are bound together “through geography, trade routes, shared ecosystems, and communities whose livelihoods depend mainly on cross-border movements,” stressing that insecurity in one country quickly spills across borders.

They expressed grave concern that the region is “currently the global epicenter of terrorism and violent extremism,” revealing that “on a daily basis, at least eight (8) terror attacks are recorded which claims averagely forty-four (44) lives,” with “more than half of all global terrorism-related deaths” occurring in West Africa.

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According to the communiqué, the conference was convened to move beyond what the leaders described as “episodic diplomacy or limited operational coordination,” in favour of “a structured and permanent framework for cooperation” that will develop shared programmes, standards and infrastructure priorities while managing common security risks.

The leaders warned that fragmentation across the region “incurs heavy economic, social, and security costs that diminish collective problem-solving capacity,” noting that rebuilding sub-regional trust and cooperation was central to restoring stability.

The high-level meeting followed earlier deliberations by Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security, as well as intelligence chiefs, with support from the African Union Commission, the United Nations Development Programme and contributions from civil society organisations.

Reaffirming their commitment to collective action, the leaders said sustainable peace in West Africa requires a shift towards a “human security” approach that is “underpinned by regional solidarity, respect for sovereignty, and a people-centred, gender-responsive approach to peacebuilding.”

On security and counterterrorism, the communiqué recognised “the inextricable link between transnational organised crime and violent extremism,” with the leaders agreeing to strengthen regular regional meetings to review peace and security commitments.

They also resolved to deepen intelligence and information sharing and to “reinforce the harmonization of legal frameworks to enhance the cross-border prosecution of terrorism-related offenses, while safeguarding human rights,” alongside strengthening de-radicalisation programmes across the region.

To address porous borders and the movement of criminal and extremist groups, the leaders committed to considering a “hot-pursuit” mechanism through bilateral, minilateral or multilateral agreements. They further agreed to develop a foundational Memorandum of Understanding and security protocols within six months to serve as the legal basis for deeper cooperation.

The communiqué stated that a draft of the foundational MoU would be prepared within three months for consideration by Heads of State, under a process to be led by Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. The leaders also pledged to strengthen mechanisms against “all forms of trafficking including narcotics, human and arms.”

On governance and human security, the conference acknowledged that “military responses alone cannot ensure lasting peace,” and pledged to prioritise food security, healthcare, job creation and education in national strategies. They also agreed to bolster local governance so that “the state’s presence is felt through service delivery rather than only security enforcement,” while leveraging digital and emerging technologies to improve governance, border management and public service delivery.

Recognising climate change as a “threat multiplier,” the leaders agreed to integrate climate and food security into regional peace and security planning, and to develop a collective disaster preparedness and response framework to support displaced populations and communities affected by crises.

As next steps, the conference recommended that the consultative meeting be institutionalised as a bi-annual platform and resolved to expedite the development of the foundational MoU, which will also outline a resource mobilisation mechanism for the framework.

To ensure accountability, the leaders agreed to establish a mechanism to track the implementation of decisions reached at the Accra meeting ahead of future bi-annual consultations.

The communiqué said, with “a renewed sense of regional solidarity” and a firm resolve to move beyond dialogue by turning commitments into “measurable outcomes that protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens across the region.”