“West Africa Faces Peril” …Boakai Calls For Urgent Need

West African leaders gathered in Accra for a high-level consultative conference on regional cooperation and security, where Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. delivered a stark warning that the sub-region faces “no option but collective survival.”

Speaking at the event, President Boakai highlighted the ongoing crisis in Niger, describing the political upheaval and security uncertainty as a “rude awakening” for West Africa that underscores the urgent need for coordinated action.

“Wars and violent conflicts, once started, have no boundaries. They leave nations wrecked, economies crippled, and development stalled,” Boakai cautioned.

Hosted by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, the conference brought together heads of state, intelligence chiefs, foreign affairs and national security ministers, and international organization representatives, reflecting the complexity of the region’s current security environment.

West Africa and the Sahel have emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing epicenters of insecurity, with violent extremist incidents in the Sahel increasing more than fivefold over the past decade.

Threats that were once confined to the Sahel have spilled southward into coastal states, intersecting with governance deficits, climate stress, youth unemployment, transnational criminal networks, illicit arms trafficking, and maritime piracy.

President Boakai outlined the major threats confronting the region, including terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organized crime, maritime insecurity, human trafficking, cybercrime, proliferation of small arms, and climate-driven resource conflicts.

He emphasized that these threats are interconnected and overwhelm limited national resources when addressed individually, requiring coordinated regional strategies.

The United Nations estimates that over 60 percent of West Africa’s population is under the age of 25, yet youth unemployment remains persistently high, creating fertile ground for radicalization and criminal recruitment.

Drawing from Liberia’s own history, Boakai stressed the long-term consequences of violent conflict, noting that Liberia’s civil wars from 1989 to 2003 claimed approximately 250,000 lives and displaced nearly half the population.

“Liberia lived it, experienced it, and continues to bear the scars,” Boakai said, stressing that this history underscores the importance of proactive conflict prevention both nationally and regionally.

He warned that instability in any West African nation poses a direct threat to its neighbors, citing porous borders due to globalization, migration, and digital connectivity. “Liberia is not safe if an inch of Ghana is in terror,” he noted.

Boakai reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to multilateralism, highlighting its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and its advocacy for regional approaches to peacebuilding and security.

The President stressed that effective international responses must extend beyond conflict epicenters to include neighboring countries and regional institutions capable of dismantling cross-border networks.

Highlighting emerging threats, Boakai warned that cybercrime and digital attacks are increasingly critical to regional security, urging governments to modernize intelligence systems and invest in technological resilience.

He argued that sustainable security requires economic opportunity and social inclusion, calling for activation of regional economic mechanisms, coordinated job creation programs, and joint education, healthcare, and training initiatives.

Boakai also recommended cultural and technical exchange programs to strengthen regional cohesion, noting that economic, social, and security challenges are deeply interconnected and must be addressed collectively.

The Liberian leader outlined four guiding principles for regional leaders: collective survival is not optional, no country can be stable while neighbors are insecure, fragmented responses guarantee failure, and delay is dangerous amid rapid technological change.

“We must act together,” Boakai concluded, “otherwise, we perish together,” underscoring the urgent need for unified and decisive regional action.

The Accra conference marked a significant opportunity for West African nations to strengthen coordination, intelligence-sharing, and resource mobilization in the face of escalating security threats across the Sahel and coastal states.