The United Nations (UN) Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee has paid a working visit to the Department of Peace Studies, School of Development Studies, University of Cape Coast (UCC). This formed part of the committee’s mission in Ghana to assess national preparedness in counter-terrorism efforts.
The initiative aligned with the committee’s broader programme to review counter-terrorism readiness in UN member states and support academic institutions worldwide to advance research on security issues.
The delegation, led by the Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Ms. Natalia Gherman, engaged with faculty members and discussed potential partnerships to strengthen counter-terrorism research within the University.
Ms. Gherman encouraged the Department to leverage data provided by the UN Counter-Terrorism Directorate in its research agenda.
She also indicated that the collaboration could significantly enrich UCC’s research in combating terrorism through more data-driven approaches.
The Head of the Department of Peace Studies, Dr. Kaderi Noagah Bukari, expressed his appreciation for the Committee’s visit, highlighting the importance of such international collaborations in expanding the Department's research capacity.
Dr. Kaderi Noagah Bukari presenting Ms. Natalia Gherman with some publications from his department
Dr. Bukari shared insights from faculty and student-led research initiatives that examined critical areas, including how terrorism in some African regions was financed through activities like gold mining and cattle rearing.
As a gesture of goodwill, he presented Ms. Gherman and her team with two publications that contained findings on regional security and financing mechanisms of terrorist groups.
Accompanying the UN delegation was Mr. Daniel Osei Bonsu, Director of Ghana’s National Counter-Terrorism Fusion Centre at the Ministry of National Security.
Mr. Bonsu commended UCC’s contributions to national security research and encouraged the Department to engage openly with national security agencies for support.
He emphasized the importance of demystifying perceptions around national security and the need to build an atmosphere of collaboration between academia and state security.
The visit was seen as a significant milestone for the Department, which has been working towards positioning itself as a key institution in counter-terrorism research within Ghana and West Africa.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC