Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang on Thursday, January 29, 2026, participated in the opening session of the Ministerial Meeting at the High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security.
This session was chaired by Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior.
The Conference brings together Heads of State and Government, Ministers, and Intelligence Chiefs from across our region.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice President emphasised that diplomacy and security are inseparable and that today’s threats, ranging from violent extremism and terrorism to organised crime and cross-border insecurity, are increasingly transnational.
According to her, we require integrated approaches that align security strategies, foreign policy, and development agendas. Fragmented, siloed responses are no longer sufficient.
She also stressed the importance of timely information sharing, joint analysis, and coordinated responses, noting that prevention is both practical and cost-effective. Regional initiatives must be designed with implementation in mind, supported by clear roles, strong institutions, and alignment with national priorities. Without these, cooperation risks remaining aspirational rather than operational.
The outcomes of the ministerial meeting will shape discussions at the Heads of State Summit tomorrow.
She encouraged a balance between ambition and realism to ensure commitments translate into results. Africa must not be afraid to review her strategies. We must track the implementation and results of our decisions and systems.
She called for a renewed interrogation of our artificial borders and any rigid notions of sovereignty, which often undermine collective security.
In her view, no country can secure itself in isolation.
She argued that 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 professor said she remains confident that with unity, sustained political will and coordinated action, our region can move decisively toward peace, stability and shared prosperity.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
