Albert Kan Dapaah, the Minister of National Security, said Ghana would need one billion pounds (11 billion cedis) to import arms and light ammunition to fight terrorist attacks.
He said that terrorist attacks on West African countries are on the rise and therefore there is a need to put measures in place to counter the sophisticated activities of these terrorists.
Mr Kan Dapaah said this at the second annual West Africa Mining Security (WAMS) conference hosted by the government and the Australian High Commission on Wednesday.
He expressed the government’s willingness to provide security forces with ammunition to counter these attacks when needed.
Since the beginning of this year, there have been 346 terrorist attacks in Africa, of which 76 were in West African countries.
The Minister of National Security has called on mining companies to rise to the challenge of ensuring the safety and security of their workers as security challenges in the mining sector continue to mount.
Ms Bernice Owen-Jones, Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, commended the government’s commitment to using the West African Mining Security Conference as a platform to discuss issues in ensuring a safe operating environment and combating terrorism in West Africa. .
“WAMS provides an opportunity to focus on the security issues facing Australian and other international mining companies in West Africa,” she said.
The two-day conference will examine the evolving threats in the West African regional security environment and their implications for mining companies.
