In communities where concerns go unreported and relationships between citizens and security institutions remain fragile, the absence of trust can become a security vulnerability. Across four regions of Ghana, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), with support from the Government of Spain through the Embassy of Spain in Ghana, has been working to address that challenge — bringing communities and security actors together to build the foundations for more effective prevention of violent extremism.
The latest engagement in Nalerigu, North East Region, marks the final workshop in a series of regional engagements held under the theme Strengthening Civilian–Security Trust and Community Resilience for the Prevention of Violent Extremism.
The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the National Peace Council (NPC), has taken the conversation beyond conventional security responses to examine a fundamental question: how can communities and security institutions work together to identify concerns, address vulnerabilities and prevent emerging threats before they escalate?
From Wa in the Upper West Region to Damongo in the Savannah Region, Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and now Nalerigu in the North East Region, the engagements have provided a platform for communities to articulate their experiences, confront barriers to cooperation and identify practical ways of strengthening local resilience.
Moving beyond security to the question of trust
At the heart of the engagements is a recognition that security is not sustained by institutions alone. It also depends on the confidence citizens have in those institutions, their willingness to share information and the assurance that their concerns will be heard and treated responsibly.
Across the regional discussions, several interconnected issues emerged. These included safe and trusted channels for reporting security concerns, the meaningful inclusion of women and young
people in community safety initiatives, and the fears, experiences and perceptions that discourage individuals from reporting suspicious activities or sharing sensitive information.
For many communities, the question is not simply whether people recognise potential threats, but whether they feel sufficiently safe and confident to report them.
That distinction is critical. When fear, mistrust or uncertainty prevents information from reaching the appropriate authorities, opportunities for early intervention may be lost. Strengthening civilian–security relationships is therefore not merely a matter of improving communication; it is an essential part of building effective community-based early warning and prevention systems.
Bringing every voice into the prevention conversation
The workshops have deliberately brought together stakeholders whose roles and experiences are central to community security.
Participants have included security and law enforcement institutions, regional and district authorities, traditional and religious leaders, women and youth representatives, civil society organisations, the media, the National Peace Council and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
Their participation reflects an important principle: communities cannot be expected to take ownership of prevention efforts if they are excluded from the conversations and decisions that shape them.
Women and young people, in particular, have an important role in identifying emerging concerns, understanding community vulnerabilities and contributing to locally relevant responses. Traditional and religious authorities, local government institutions and civil society actors also bring relationships, knowledge and influence that can help bridge gaps between communities and formal security structures.
By creating space for these different perspectives, KAIPTC is helping to foster a more inclusive understanding of security — one that recognises community experience as an important resource in preventing violent extremism.
From regional conversations to practical action
An important feature of the engagements has been the effort to move beyond identifying challenges towards agreeing on what needs to happen next.
While common concerns have emerged across the four regions, each engagement has also examined the particular experiences and circumstances of its host region. This approach recognises that effective prevention cannot be built around a single prescription. Responses must reflect the realities, concerns and priorities of the communities they are intended to serve.
Through facilitated discussions, experience-sharing and collaborative problem-solving, participants have examined the factors affecting civilian–security relations and explored opportunities for stronger cooperation.
The process is geared towards developing locally informed action plans that identify priority concerns, proposed interventions, responsible stakeholders and indicative timelines for implementation.
This is where the significance of the initiative extends beyond the workshops themselves. The value of bringing stakeholders together will ultimately be measured by whether the conversations translate into stronger reporting relationships, more responsive institutions, improved coordination and practical actions at community level.
Across the four regional engagements, more than 200 participants have been brought into this conversation, strengthening the foundation for broader community ownership of violent extremism prevention.
A shared responsibility, strengthened by partnership
The initiative also underscores the importance of sustained partnerships in addressing emerging security challenges.
The support of the Government of Spain reflects the value of international cooperation in strengthening Ghana’s preventive security architecture, while KAIPTC’s collaboration with the National Peace Council brings together institutional experience and local peacebuilding perspectives.
For KAIPTC, the engagements reinforce an important dimension of its mandate: building the capacities, partnerships and practical approaches required to support peace and security in Africa.
As the Nalerigu workshop concludes the regional series, the focus now extends beyond the meeting rooms to the communities and institutions expected to carry the discussions forward.
The message from the four regions is clear: preventing violent extremism is not the responsibility of security institutions alone. It requires communities that can speak without fear, institutions that are prepared to listen and stakeholders willing to translate shared concerns into coordinated action.
Ultimately, the strength of a community’s resilience is not determined only by its ability to respond when a threat emerges, but also by the trust, relationships and collective capacity it builds to prevent that threat from taking root.
Opening the program, Ghana’s Ambassador to Spain His Excellency Ángel Lossada Torres-Quevedo, reiterated the Spanish government’s resolve to help resolve issues of violent extremism in the Ghana, particularly within the northern region.
The Chairman of the national peace council Rev Father Matthew Haruna stress the need to promote peaceful coexistence among communities
Representing the Commandant of KAIPTC, the Head of Programmes, Peace and Security Studies, Mr Augustine Owusu, emphasised that security is not the sole responsibility of security agencies but a shared responsibility between institutions and the communities they serve.
“One important lesson from our previous engagements is that security is not the responsibility of security agencies alone. It is a shared responsibility between institutions and the communities they serve,” he stated.
For KAIPTC and its partners, strengthening that trust is not peripheral to security. It is central to prevention.