Security expert Prof. Kwesi Aning has expressed deep concerns over the rampant corruption in Ghana, describing it as a pervasive issue that has almost become normalized.
Speaking at the Republic Day Lecture at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Prof. Aning emphasized that corruption poses the most significant and persistent threat to the nation’s security, overshadowing other threats such as extremism.
He called on the military to conduct thorough analyses to comprehend the networks, interdependencies, and tools required to address the impact of corruption effectively.
“Mr. [Francis] Poku talked about operations not being politicised, which I think we all know the answer to. So what are the main security threats the Military must look at? Mr. Poku talks about high threats, these are consistently very fluid and keep on moving and shaping so today it might be valid extremism, and tomorrow it might be about sanitation. But the abiding and consistent threat to this country is corruption.”
“We [have] become so corrupt that that is the glue that binds the nation and I think the Military, there needs to be consistent analysis and threat assessment about what the next impact of what corruption is, what are the networks and what are the interdependences and interrelations and how and what are the tools for a response.”
Prof. Aning also highlighted the increasing threat of illegal mining (galamsey) to Ghana’s national security, noting the alarming rise in arms use and illicit financial flows involving foreign actors in galamsey activities.