Ghana remains one of the most peaceful countries in West Africa, even as violent extremism continues to spread across the region. But security experts warn that peace cannot be taken for granted.
As pressures mount along Ghana’s northern borders and social and economic stress deepens within communities, the government has launched a new data-driven initiative aimed at preventing violent extremism before it takes hold.
“It’s a cutting-edge, evidence-based decision-making tool designed to help the state and its partners understand what makes communities resilient or vulnerable to violent extremist influence,” said Mirko Hoff, Programme Coordinator for the Development and Resilience Index Against Violent Extremism (DRIVE).
“By combining community perceptions, psychosocial factors, governance indicators and development realities, the index provides actionable data for prevention,” he said.
West Africa is one of the world’s fastest-growing hotspots for extremist violence, according to the Global Terrorism Index. While attacks have largely been concentrated in the Sahel, the threat is steadily edging closer to coastal states.
Ghana has yet to record an extremist attack, but security officials say early warning signs are emerging, including cross-border pressures in the north, youth unemployment, declining trust in public institutions and uneven access to basic services.
To better understand these risks, authorities are turning to the DRIVE Initiative, which uses community-level data to assess how vulnerable or resilient communities are to extremist influence. The index examines everyday realities such as trust in state institutions, youth inclusion, service delivery and relationships with security agencies.
The approach has already shown results elsewhere. When DRIVE was piloted in border communities in Côte d’Ivoire, data revealed significant differences in resilience between neighbouring communities.
“The DRIVE Index builds on years of experience and knowledge on the ground,” said Bishop Dogbe of the National Peace Council. “It helps measure the social dynamics that push communities toward violent extremism or enable them to resist it. This data allows Ghanaian actors to be more effective, because they can clearly identify stressors, vulnerabilities and existing strengths in each district.”
Communities with stronger trust in local authorities, better youth inclusion and reliable access to services were found to be far less vulnerable to extremist recruitment than those facing social exclusion and weak governance.
For Ghana, the stakes are particularly high. Nearly 60 percent of the population is under the age of 25, and experts across the region consistently identify youth exclusion as one of the strongest risk factors for radicalisation.
Beyond identifying high-risk areas, the DRIVE Initiative also serves as a national tool for tracking social cohesion over time. By monitoring changes in trust, inclusion and service delivery, policymakers can assess whether prevention efforts are working and adjust strategies accordingly.
As extremist threats move closer to coastal West Africa, initiatives like DRIVE reflect a proactive shift – one that focuses on strengthening communities before crises emerge. Ghana’s peace has endured so far but sustaining it will depend on understanding vulnerabilities early and acting decisively to address them.
