Human Factors in the Fight Against Terrorism
Introduction
Ghana and the wider West African sub-region face an increasingly complex and evolving terrorism threat. While Ghana has maintained relative domestic stability, the expansion of extremist networks across the Sahel and coastal West Africa, coupled with emerging challenges such as online radicalisation and AI-driven disinformation, demands a proactive and sophisticated response. Ghana’s counter-terrorism architecture has undergone significant reforms, including the passage of the Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025, which restructured intelligence coordination and renamed the National Investigations Bureau to the Bureau of National Intelligence. These structural changes highlight the need for personnel who are not merely technically proficient but possess the critical thinking, situational awareness, and adaptive capabilities that define effective counter-terrorism practice.
This course addresses a critical gap in capacity building: the systematic development of the human dimensions of counter-terrorism. As research in the field has demonstrated, counter-terrorism effectiveness depends fundamentally on the skills, capabilities and training of individual practitioners, not merely on technology or organisational structures. The course draws on international best practice and is tailored to the Ghanaian and West African context.
Course Description
Course Title: Human Factors in the Fight Against Terrorism.
Duration: eLearning followed by 3 days of in-person lectures and exercises.
Target Audience: Mid-to-senior level personnel from security agencies, intelligence services, military, police, civil society organisations and relevant government institutions involved in counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism.
Course Overview
The course examines the critical role of individual and organisational human factors in counter-terrorism effectiveness. It moves beyond a purely technical or technological focus to explore how selection, training, cognition, team dynamics, and decision-making under pressure shape counter-terrorism outcomes. Participants will engage with concepts including situational awareness, vigilance, creativity in threat anticipation, and the socio-technical interface between human operators and security technologies.
Course Aim
The aim of this course is to strengthen the capacity of Ghanaian and West African security and civilian personnel to understand and apply human factors principles in counter-terrorism operations, planning, and policy. It seeks to enhance individual and organisational effectiveness through improved awareness of cognitive, behavioural, and team-based factors that influence counter-terrorism performance.
Expected Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the concept of “human factors” in counter-terrorism and distinguish it from other usages of the term in ergonomics or human biology.
- Identify the individual capabilities, including critical thinking, intuition, creativity, and situational awareness, that contribute to effective counter-terrorism practice.
- Assess the role of personnel selection, assessment, and continuous development in building effective counter-terrorism teams.
- Recognise the cognitive challenges of vigilance and threat detection in high-volume, low-signal environments, and apply strategies to mitigate error.
- Analyse the socio-technical interface between human operators and security technologies, including the risks of technological over-reliance.
- Apply human factors principles to counter-terrorism planning, intelligence analysis, and inter-agency coordination within the Ghanaian context.
- Develop actionable recommendations for integrating human factors considerations into their respective institutions’ training and operational practices.
Methodology
The course consists of eLearning modules followed by 3 days of in-person lectures, case studies, tabletop exercises and facilitated discussions. It emphasises peer learning and practical application to the Ghanaian and West African security environment.
The problem-based learning approach will be used in the delivery of the 3-day residential course. Participants will play active roles in the learning process under the supervised guidance of a team of experienced facilitators. The course content will thus be delivered using a combination of tools such as lectures, case studies, small group work exercises and table top exercise among others.
The course will be conducted in English.
Accommodation and feeding for participants will be covered by the KAIPTC. The course is funded by the Government of Germany. The course also forms part of a project to counter terrorism supported by the Government of Italy.
How to Apply
Completion of the eLearning modules is a pre-requisite for selection to the in-person course. Accordingly, all interested applicants must duly complete the required eLearning modules before they can be considered as participants for the 3-day residential course.
Closing Date for Completion of eLearning Modules: Tuesday 3 November 2026.
Dates for Residential Course: Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 November 2026.