ACCRA, GHANA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has issued a strong call for urgent regional cooperation to confront escalating security and governance threats across West Africa, warning that instability in any one country endangers the survival of all. Speaking at the High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra, Ghana, Boakai framed the gathering as a necessity rather than a diplomatic formality.
Addressing fellow heads of state, including Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, President Boakai said recent developments in Niger serve as a stark reminder of the fragile security environment confronting the region. He described the situation as a “rude awakening” that validates the urgency of collective engagement on security matters.
President Boakai expressed solidarity with the people of Niger and reaffirmed Liberia’s full support for the regional initiative. He thanked President Mahama for convening the conference and for the hospitality extended to the Liberian delegation, underscoring Liberia’s commitment to regional dialogue and shared responsibility.
Drawing from Liberia’s own history, President Boakai emphasized that his country understands the devastating costs of violent conflict. He noted that Liberia has lived through war, continues to bear its scars, and is therefore firmly committed to preventing conflicts at national, regional, and international levels.
He warned that wars and violent conflicts, once ignited, recognize no boundaries and leave societies shattered, development stalled, and generations traumatized. For Liberia, he said, the lesson is clear that prevention must take precedence over reaction.
President Boakai described the conference as timely, noting that it comes amid global disorder and uncertainty that threaten collective existence. He outlined a wide range of challenges confronting the region, including terrorism, violent extremism, governance deficits, transnational crime, maritime insecurity, climate-driven resource conflicts, illicit mining, arms proliferation, human trafficking, illicit financial flows, drug abuse, unemployment, and social injustice.
He further cautioned that some states are increasingly threatened by non-state actors who thrive on lawlessness and anarchy, exploiting weak governance structures and porous borders. According to Boakai, these actors undermine state authority and regional stability.
Highlighting emerging threats, President Boakai drew attention to cybercrime and new security fault lines created by technology and increased cross-border movement. He stressed that as borders become less relevant in practice, regional leaders must respond by embracing collective security and strengthening cooperation and solidarity.
President Boakai warned that the region is facing increasing disruptions in global affairs, marked by competition and polarization rather than cooperation. He said these disruptions are already manifesting in economic decline, rising unemployment, insecurity, and deepening poverty, outcomes that are particularly dangerous for smaller and developing states.
Against this backdrop, President Boakai reaffirmed Liberia’s belief in multilateralism as the most effective means of addressing security and socio-economic challenges. He noted that Liberia’s role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council places a responsibility on his government to advocate for regional approaches to peacebuilding and security.
He explained that a regional strategy ensures that responses to violent crises go beyond the immediate epicenter by dismantling support networks and preventing the spread of instability to neighboring countries. Such an approach, he said, strengthens both national and regional resilience.
President Boakai emphasized that the Accra meeting aligns directly with Liberia’s national security strategy and foreign policy objectives, which prioritize regional cooperation as a tool for mobilizing resources and taking collective action against shared threats.
He welcomed the detailed assessments and policy recommendations presented by intelligence chiefs and ministers responsible for foreign affairs and national security. President Boakai reaffirmed his government’s readiness to work with other heads of state to implement the agreed recommendations.
In concluding his remarks, President Boakai delivered a blunt message, stating that regional leaders are gathered not by choice but by necessity. He warned that no country can remain peaceful if its neighbor is engulfed in terror and insisted that collective action, without delay, is the only path to survival in an era of rapidly evolving security threats.
