Deputy Minister for the Interior, Hon. Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, has officially unveiled the country’s BORDER Project, intended to enhance peace, security, and resilience in Ghana's border communities.

The project, which is being implemented in collaboration with World Vision Ghana, the PATRIP Foundation, and RACED Ghana, seeks to address the multiple stressors faced by border regions, including resource-based conflicts, climate shocks, and inter-communal tensions.

Speaking at the launch, the deputy minister emphasized the importance of social cohesion, conflict prevention, intercommunal tensions, and economic empowerment in building peace and stability in border communities.

“Our border communities face multiple stressors that threaten national stability. This project will strengthen social cohesion, boost economic empowerment, and promote peaceful coexistence across ethnic and religious divides.

The Ministry of the Interior fully supports this initiative and calls on traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and civil society to take an active role in this vital peacebuilding effort,” he said.

He pledged the ministry’s support for the project and urged stakeholders, including traditional leaders, religious leaders, and youth, to actively engage in the peacebuilding components of the project.

Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, who also spoke at the event reaffirmed his ministry’s readiness to collaborate with World Vision Ghana and its partners to ensure that the gains of this project translate into improved learning outcomes.

“Education is a powerful tool for social transformation. We will work closely with World Vision Ghana and its partners to ensure that this project improves learning outcomes in border areas,” he said.

He added that his ministry will work through the Ghana Education Service to align local interventions with national policies, including the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) and commitments under SDG 4, ensuring inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all.

Interim National Director of World Vision Ghana, Mr. Jean-Claude Mukadi, also made remarks, thanking the German government for its support of the World Vision ministry in Ghana.

They assured the German Ambassador to Ghana, distinguished German representatives present, and the officials from the German Development Bank (KfW) that World Vision, in collaboration with their implementing partners, is fully committed to the successful implementation of this project.

The northern border areas near Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire have recorded civil unrest and crime. For years, Burkina Faso has struggled to contain terrorist groups like Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Islamic State Sahel Province (ISGS), and their affiliates.

In October last year, Reuters reported that Islamist militants fighting in Burkina Faso were discreetly using northern Ghana as a logistical and medical base to support their expansion efforts across West Africa.

Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, the previous government’s spokesperson on security matters dismissed the allegations, stating that cross-border activities involved legitimate trade and official transactions.