US embassy cable - 04ACCRA239

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 000239 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL, S/CT, AND AF/W 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2013 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PREL, GH 
SUBJECT: GHANA CTAG MEETING 
 
REF: STATE 014279 
 
Classified By: Polchief Richard Kaminski, reason 1.5 (B/D). 
 
1. (C) Per reftel instructions, Ambassador Yates convened a 
CTAG meeting on February 2 in Accra.  In attendance on the 
donor side were the G-8 ambassadors or charge d'affaires in 
Accra, plus the EU and Swiss Ambassadors (the Spanish 
Ambassador was invited but out of country).  National 
Security Coordinator Francis Poku attended for the GOG.  The 
agenda was set in two parts: G-8-plus participants' 
assessment of the threat and host country's needs, and then 
the host country response. 
 
2.  (C)  In the assembled chiefs of mission discussion (in 
advance of Poku's arrival), the terrorist threat in Ghana was 
generally assessed as relatively low, with no concrete threat 
emanating from inside Ghana at this time.  However, given 
Ghana's open society and benign security forces, the 
potential for terrorists attempting to use Ghana as a base in 
the future could not be discounted.  Particularly with 
Ghana's relatively good regional airlinks, indigenous Muslim 
population with some links to outside extremist groups, the 
presence of many major Islamic NGOs, and porous borders, 
watchfulness was called for.  The presence of Muslim clerics 
from Gulf states, Pakistan and other locales pursuing 
fundamentalist agendas in Ghana was also a cause for concern. 
 
 
3.  (C)  Francis Poku briefly gave a similar assessment of 
the situation in Ghana, noting that security forces monitor 
local and expatriate groups throughout the country, and that 
Ghana "could be a weak link" regionally if it did not conduct 
"proper data collection and analysis."  Poku specifically 
noted poor contingency planning regionally, with management 
of emergencies being particularly wanting on the Ghanaian 
side.  He also spoke of the difficulties with border control. 
 Poku generally spoke of Ghana's need for data analysis 
infrastructure, enhanced training, and added resources to 
monitor events in the region.  He said that the various 
security services were collating their needs, and he would be 
prepared to discuss them at the next CTAG meeting.  Poku 
mentioned that, given the very high priority given to proper 
security for the presidential and parliamentary elections in 
December, he would not have quite the level of resources to 
devote to anti-terrorist activities as he might wish.  "We 
must use our limited resources appropriately." 
 
4.  (C)  Ambassador Yates offered a listing of USG 
contributions to law enforcement in Ghana generally, and 
overt anti-terror needs specifically, including the Pisces 
arrival and departure data system for all border posts in 
Ghana.  She encouraged the assembled chiefs of missions to 
present their own listing of programs and assistance at the 
next CTAG meeting, to compare with the GOG resource 
requirements now being compiled. 
 
5.  (C) The Italian Ambassador provided a copy of a 
confidential document which indicated the following: 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Threat Assessment: 
--Ghana appears to become a transit point for drugs and arms 
trafficking and presence of an active Muslim community 
(Lebanese and Islamic NGOs supported by Iran and Saudi Arabia) 
--Will to cooperate: Ghana has ratified the 12 UN Conventions 
on terrorism 
 
Needs Assessment: 
--A special law on financial means for counter-terrorism 
actions under discussions 
--Introduction of a new identity card system to fight against 
forged documents 
 
Ongoing Assistance: 
Airport Security:  USA, Japan 
Immigration: UK 
Transnational Crime: Italy, France 
Customs Assistance: Japan 
Central Bank/Finance Ministry:  USA 
 
6. (C) The Italian Embassy is one of the few G-8 members in 
Ghana which has an intelligence operation.  The Italian 
Ambassador urged that a mosque and newspaper associated with 
it, the Searchlight, be monitored for any growth of 
fundamentalist or extremist trends. 
 
 
 
Lanier