Claim: Ghana is the only country in West Africa that has not fallen victim to terrorist violence.
Source: Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Verdict: False
Researched by Nusrat Essah
Former President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, claimed during his final State of the Nations Address (SONA) on January 3, 2025; that Ghana is the only country in West Africa that has not recorded any terrorist violence.
“Mr Speaker, the first responsibility of a government is the safety and security of the state and its people. I am happy to report that our country’s territorial integrity is intact and all our borders are secure.
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“In a neighbourhood of widespread instability, it is no longer an assumption we can make that our land would be safe and secure. Ghana, by the grace of God, remains the only country in the neighbourhood that has not fallen victim to terrorist violence,” he said.
Fact-Check
Ghana belongs to the general West African subregion but her immediate neighbours are Togo to the East, Ivory Coast to the West and Burkina Faso to the north. This report looks at the wider region in terms of terrorist violence before zooming in on the immediate neighbours.
Given the security concerns in the West African region, GhanaFact sought to verify this claim using data from the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).
WANEP is a leading regional organisation that promotes peace, security, and stability in West Africa. WANEP works with various stakeholders, including governments, civil society organisations, and communities, to address conflict prevention, management, and resolution.
WANEP’s latest West Africa Early Warning Outlook 2024 published in April 2024 provides a map of security threats in West African countries as of January 2024.
From WANEP’s report, GhanaFact extracted the security risk table below, categorising threats in West Africa.
| No. | Country | Security challenges | Overall risk |
| 1 | Ghana | Arrest
Protest brutality |
Low |
| 2 | Togo | Terrorist attacks | Low |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | Terrorist attack
Illegal mining |
Medium |
| 4 | Ivory Coast | Drug abuse | Medium |
| 5 | The Gambia | Migrant returnees | Low |
| 6 | Senegal | Violent demonstrations | Low |
| 7 | Guinea | Explosion of fuel depot
Polio epidemic Protests Arrests |
Medium |
| 8 | Guinea-Bissau | Political crisis | Medium |
| 9 | Liberia | Protest | Medium |
| 10 | Nigeria | Banditry
Kidnapping Protest Farmers’ and herders’ conflict Outbreaks of diseases |
Medium |
| 11 | Cabo Verde | Gender-based violence
Sexual violence |
Low |
| 12 | Mali | Operations to reconquer territory
Recapture of Kidal |
High |
| 13 | Sierra Leone | Kush drug
Protest |
Low |
| 14 | Benin | Smuggled petrol | Medium |
| 15 | Niger | Terrorist Attacks | Medium |
Based on WANEP’s data, a number of West African countries including Ghana, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone, and Benin had not recorded terrorist violence as of January 2024.
With respect to Ghana’s immediate neighbours, only Burkina Faso and Togo recorded terrorist violence per the WANEP tracking, Ivory Coast did not.
GhanaFact further analysed data published by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), an organisation that collects and analyses data on political violence globally. They provide real-time data on conflict events, including information on dates, actors, locations, fatalities, and event types.
ACLED’s Conflict Watchlist 2025 has a record of political violence in West Africa from January 1 to November 29, 2024.
ACLED defines political violence as the use of force by a group with a political purpose or motivation, or with distinct political effects.
The closest component of political violence to acts of terrorism is ‘Battles.’ ACLED defines ‘Battles’ as a violent interaction between two organized armed groups at a particular time and location. ‘Battles’ can occur between armed and organized state, non-state, and external groups, and in any combination therein. There is no fatality minimum necessary for inclusion.
From ACLED’s report, GhanaFact extracted a table of political violence against civilians across West Africa.
| No. | Country | Incidents of political violence |
| 1 | Ghana | No |
| 2 | Togo | Yes |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | Yes |
| 4 | Ivory Coast | No |
| 5 | The Gambia | No |
| 6 | Senegal | No |
| 7 | Guinea | No |
| 8 | Guinea-Bissau | No |
| 9 | Liberia | No |
| 10 | Nigeria | Yes |
| 11 | Cabo Verde | No |
| 12 | Mali | Y
es |
| 13 | Sierra Leone | No |
| 14 | Benin | Yes |
| 15 | Niger | Yes |
From the above, political violence was recorded in Togo and Burkina Faso but Ivory Coast like Ghana did not record any such incidents.
From the analysis of ACLED data, Ghana, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Cabo Verde, and Sierra Leone, did not record any political violence in 2024.
This further contradicts the claim that Ghana is the only country in the neighbourhood without terrorist violence.
Meanwhile, a Security Analyst, Adib Saani, confirmed to GhanaFact that Ghana has indeed not suffered an attack, but also that, Ghana is not immune. “It’s a fact that Ghana has not suffered any terrorist attack. However, we are not immune from attacks,” he said.
While WANEP’s January 2024 data shows that 11 West African countries had not recorded terrorist violence, ACLED’s 2025 watchlist data shows that at least 9 West African countries apart from Ghana have also not recorded any political violence in the last year.
Therefore, while Ghana has not suffered a terrorist attack as stated by the former president, it is not the only country in West Africa or even among its immediate neighbours without terrorist violence. Ivory Coast has also not recorded any terrorist violence
Verdict
Therefore, the claim is rated False
