Foreign Policy and Security Analyst, Adib Saani has praised the government for launching the National Security Strategy Document on Monday, June 8, 2021, but argues “the document is useless if we don’t have the money to implement it.”
According to him, commitment and funding are the lifelines to realizing the country’s security aspirations and a National Security Strategy without stakeholder commitment or implementation funding “can best be described as futile”.
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He noted that with this document, Ghana’s security agencies and intelligence gathering processes will move from the reactive to a more proactive approach. “The security strategy will serve as a blueprint to the way the security of the state will be run. Hitherto, our approach to security is adhoc; address insecurities as they occur. But this strategy will help us better plan to deal with existing insecurities and even preempt emerging ones.”
Adib Saani noted that the media has a huge role to play in also ensuring the National Security Strategy works. He admitted that although there is friction between the media and the security agencies, “they should work together and subsequent governments must also play their part in its implementation,” he told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.
To him, the document requires a hands-on approach as he called on the citizenry to support the government. “Everybody has a role to play, hence, the need for awareness creation. Ghanaians should be sensitized to understand that they have a role to play in protecting themselves and better securing their communities,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo has launched Ghana’s first National Security Strategy Document and commissioned the new National Security Ministry building in Accra.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nana Akufo-Addo said the document will serve as the overarching guide for Ghana’s security agencies and their operations.
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He said the document will help to better secure the country and guarantee the safety of citizens, adding that Ghana cannot attain sustainable development if its security issues are not attended to.
“A prerequisite for the sustainable development of the nation is a secure environment that guarantees the safety of the people, and the preservation of its territorial integrity. It is only when these things are assured that citizens can live peacefully and strive to improve constantly the quality of their lives,” the President said.
