The Resident Representative and Ambassador of the President of the ECOWAS Commission to Liberia, Josephine Nkrumah, says education is the most relevant measure any country can deplore in the prevention of terrorism and violent extremism.
Violent extremism is the beliefs and actions of people who support or use violence to achieve ideological, religious, or political goals, with massive education and awareness taking center stage.
Ambassador Nkrumah cautioned that terrorism are real, and everyone was at risk while rallying public support to avert any occurrence in the Mano River Union basin and other parts of the ECOWAS region.
“Violent extremism and terrorism is real. All of us remain at risk in fighting violent extremism. Economic crimes and money laundering, are often funded through money laundering measures,” Madam Nkrumah stated.
She spoke Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at the launch of an ECOWAS/GIABA-funded project that seeks to raise awareness against terrorism and violent extremism in the Mano River Union region.
The effort is also being led by the Center for Economic Crimes and Security Studies (CESS) in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire.
She underscored the need for a more vigorous education intervention among the youth populace owing to their vulnerability to terrorism and violent extremism across the ECOWAS region.
“Why this conversation is important to young people is that violent extremism often finds roots in the youth, radicalizing young people who feel disheartened by lack of good governance, who feel disheartened because they do not have jobs and skills, who feel excluded from the conversation of governance in their country,” Madam Nkrumah narrated.
She continued: “Those people are the ones who are vulnerable to be radicalized by other violent extremists.
Madam Nkrumah rallied the support of the public to prevent terrorism and violent extremism from taking root in society, identifying education as one of the most pivotal drivers of preventing violent extremism and terrorism.
According to her, ECOWAS takes seriously concerns relating to terrorism and violent extremism, pledging the regional body’s support to the work being carried out by the Center for Economic Crimes and Security Studies.
Ambassador Nkrumah called on the media to play its role by providing education and sensitizing citizens on the requisite information they need to know about terrorism and violent extremism.
The Chairman of the Governance Commission. Alaric K. Tokpa pledged the government’s support to the project being implemented by CESS.
He said the commission was on the verge of establishing a unit that deals with CESS priority areas.
Providing an overview of the project, CESS Interim National Coordinator, Trokon A. Freeman, recalled that on September 14, 2019, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at their extraordinary meeting held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, adopted a political declaration and a regional action plan against terrorism. This action plan has eight components, and component six is devoted to countering the financing of terrorism in the region.
According to him, GIABA was mandated to lead the implementation of this component.
“GIABA has provided funding to two civil society groups to carry out sensitization and awareness on violent extremism and terrorism and other preventative measures in the Mano River Union and Northeastern Nigeria, with the Center for Economic Crimes and Security Studies (CESS) leading the process in the Mano River Union countries (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)”.
