Claim: President John Dramani Mahama said “Ghana is the safest country in West Africa.”
Source: GHOne TV
Verdict: Misleading
Researched by Charlotte Gbonsu
A quote card shared by GHone TV on its Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and X pages on October 13, 2026, claimed that President John Dramani Mahama said: “Ghana is the safest country in West Africa.”
The quote card was published after President Mahama’s speech at the commissioning of the ultramodern bed facility at the Police Hospital on October 13, 2026.
This fact-check will ascertain whether the statement on the flyer can be attributed to the president.
Fact-check
GhanaFact analysed President Mahama’s speech and observed that the president made reference to people who advanced the opinion that Ghana was the safest country in the subregion.
During his speech, he said, “This police administration is doing a yeoman’s job. As Commander in Chief and President of the Republic, I want to express the gratitude of our nation to all of you and urge you to keep up the good work. It’s no wonder everybody wants to visit Ghana because they say it is the safest country in the whole of West Africa.”
His statement did not reflect a personal opinion, but the opinion of other people about Ghana. President Mahama did not specify the calibre of people who held that view or did he share their reasons for same.
Verdict
The claim is therefore misleading!
Is Ghana ranked the safest in West Africa?
According to the 2026 Global Peace Index Annual Report, Ghana is the 79th safest country in the world out of 163 countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is the 9th safest country, and in West Africa it is ranked the 4th safest. The ranking shows The Gambia as the safest country in West Africa, followed by Sierra Leone, then Senegal, before Ghana.
The Global Peace Index ranks countries using three major criteria: Safety & Security, which considers factors such as the impact of terrorism and violent crime, among others. Secondly, ongoing conflict, including political instability, intensity of internal conflict, among others and militarisation, which includes access to small arms and weapon imports.
