COMBATING EXTREMISM IN GHANA

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 06 ACCRA 001969

SIPDIS

FOR R, P AND AF/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2015
TAGS: EAIR GH KDEM KPAO PHUM PREL PTER
SUBJECT: COMBATING EXTREMISM IN GHANA

REF: A. STATE 159129


B. ACCRA 661

Classified By: PolChief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.4 b and d.


1. (S) Summary: There is little political or religious
extremism in Ghana. The Mission has an active Muslim outreach
program and the USG spends about $12 million in programs
annually directed largely at Ghana's 20 percent Muslim
population. Other Mission activities help promote tolerance,
including a large Peace Corps program. Government of Ghana
officials speak publicly about the need for tolerance.
Ghanaian NGOs, including many faith-based organizations,
actively promote tolerance and condemn violence. We get
excellent GOG cooperation on counter-terrorism and
intelligence sharing. We plan to expand our Muslim outreach
and to continue emphasizing moderation and tolerance in our
public comments and programs. The threat of large extremist
movements is low but Ghana remains vulnerable to terrorist
violence from small groups taking advantage of Ghana's
openness and porous borders. End summary.

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Extremism Not a Problem in Ghana
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2. (C) Some 100 linguistic and ethnic groups live
peacefully in Ghana and relations between Christians and the
20 percent Muslim population are generally good. The
government and most individual Ghanaians welcome refugees
(there are around 60,000 in Ghana today). A July 6, 2005
public opinion survey by the Center for Democratic
Development (CDD) found that, while ethnic awareness remains
high, a plurality of Ghanaians (42%) feel equal loyalty to
their Ghanaian and ethnic identities. Civil society groups,
including churches, actively promote social tolerance and
conflict resolution. The social tensions that do exist often
revolve around traditional chieftancy disputes (mostly
related to land, status and inheritance),inter- and
intra-party political rivalry, and friction within the Muslim
community (between moderate Tijanias and more extreme
Alhasunas and between Andani and Abudu "gates" in the
Northern Region). There are traditional ethnic feuds,
especially in northern Ghana, which in the past have
occasionally led to violence. Nationally, there is some
degree of resentment by others against the dominant Akan
ethnic/linguistic group, as well as by northerners against
the politically dominant southerners. Conflicts tend to be
localized, and not ideological or religious.


3. (C) In recent years we have encountered some criticism
of U.S. global policy, specifically our policy in the Middle
East. However, the vast majority of Ghanaian Muslims are
moderate and their leaders welcomed our efforts through our
Muslim Outreach Program. Former Ambassador Yates was warmly
received in farewell calls on major Muslim leaders, including
the National Chief Imam. At one late night Islamic event
last month attended by the National Chief Imam, the
organizing Imam began by announcing his group's love for
America, their love for the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, and their
love for the charge d'affaires, who was attending. The more
radical Alhasuna leadership has gradually become comfortable
in meeting with us and participating in our programs.
According to a February, 2005 Public Affairs Office of
Research poll, the percentage of Ghanaian Muslims with a very
favorable view of the United States increased from 38% in
2003 to 42% in 2004.


4. (S) There is a small extreme element in the Muslim
community, reflecting at least in part an aggressive Iranian
and Saudi influence in northern regions. As reported ref B,
Emboffs encountered this element in a March, 2005 trip to the
northern city of Tamale, when Muslim students at the Tamale
Polytechnic boycotted our scheduled meeting. We have also
encountered extremist Muslims in Kumasi. As reported ref C,
Ghana is not a major focus of terrorist organizations but has
clear and significant vulnerabilities, including a porous
border, corrupt border/customs officials and growing
narcotics trafficking.

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Muslim Outreach Program
--------------


5. (U) The Mission counteracts extremism primarily through
our inter-agency Muslim outreach program, which includes
$12 million in USG assistance to Ghana's Muslim community
annually and benefits an estimated 210,000 people. Many
offices in the Mission participate in this coordinated
campaign.


6. (U) Overall Diplomacy and Dialogue:
--------------

-- The Embassy observes a number of events for Ramadan as
part of our regular programming. Every year the Ambassador
hosts an Iftaar dinner for the Muslim leadership; we make a
presentation of a sheep to the National Chief Imam; and we
donate food to needy Muslims through mosques in poor
communities. Recently, we have also sponsored soccer
tournaments and Koranic quizzes for Muslim youth.

-- In 2004, the Embassy held a conference to explain
scholarship and educational assistance programs to Muslim
educators and student leaders.

-- Throughout 2003 and 2004 we held dialogues with Muslim
students and community leaders in Accra, Tamale, Kumasi and
other parts of the country.


7. (U) Public Affairs Programs (All long-term)
--------------

- Muslim mid-career professionals and opinion leaders, have
participated in various exchange programs to expose them to
US society and culture, and the principles of religious
tolerance. In October 2004, Muslim youth leaders from both
the ruling and the main opposition parties participated in a
three-week International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP)
under the theme "Youth Leadership in the US". One has since
become a member of Ghana,s Parliament.

- A teacher at an Islamic high school, who participated in an
IVLP under the theme "US Society and the Political Process",
is host of a religious program on two nationwide TV stations.
He is one of post,s main liaisons with different segments
of the Muslim community. For example, he mobilized Muslim
students for a speaker program with US speaker, Imam Yahya
Hendi, who spoke about "Islam in the U.S." He also helped
prepare the guest list of Muslims for post,s annual hosting
of the Iftaar dinner during Ramadan.

- Two Muslim women participated in different women,s
leadership programs in 2003 and 2004. Both have since spoken
strongly about working in the predominantly-Muslim north to
help young girls enroll and stay in school. One has resigned
from her private legal practice in southern Ghana and
returned north to begin her NGO work.

- One Muslim journalist IVLP beneficiary from northern Ghana
works with a state-owned,nationwide radio broadcasting
station and his programs are aired across the country. A
Muslim police officer who participated in an IVLP on
Combating International Crime and Terrorism returned with new
ideas on how Ghana could better protect its borders.

- U.S. Imam Yahya Hendi was brought from Georgetown
University to Ghana under the speaker program and told
various Muslim leaders and youth audiences in Accra and
Kumasi how Muslims, and others, practice their religion
freely and observe their own religious holidays in the United
States. Many listeners, especially youth, did not know that
Muslims could freely practice their religion in the United
States.

-A U.S. speaker on grassroots democracy held a three-day
conference for NGO representatives, local and regional
officials and journalists, including some Muslims, on how to
make government officials more responsive to community needs.
Many participants continue to network among themselves to
seek greater accountability from their political leaders in
northern Ghana. Our Public Affairs Section monitors the
media for stories related to extremism, engaging the press on
the need for responsible journalism, and discouraging stories
which contribute to violence or extremism.


8. (U) Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) Programs
(Long-term)
-------------- --------------

-- In Nima, Accra's largest Muslim community (and one of its
poorest neighborhoods),with 2005 funding, ODC is:

-constructing an Islamic Community Center.
-building and furnishing an addition to an existing medical
clinic, which serves hundreds of thousands of people.
-planning to build an office for the Islamic Education Unit
of the Ministry of Education.

-- In Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city, ODC is building a
medical clinic for the Muslim community. We are waiting on
the arrival of the property to furnish this clinic.

-- In Northern Ghana, ODC is:

-building and equipping a clinical lab at Navrongo Hospital.
-nearly finished with constructing and equipping $200,000
worth of wells in disadvantaged, predominantly Muslim areas.
(In 2005, we will contribute $100,000 more to this
construction).
ODC is also providing books and school furnishings to schools
built with DOD funds in Nima and Apirede.



9. (U) USAID - All projects have 5-year timelines with, we
hope, long-term impact.
--------------

- USAID through Catholic Relief Services supports the Center
for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies in the Northern
Region, where there has been violence between ethnic groups
(although not Muslims against Christians). The goals of the
Center's activities are to:

- build capacity of chiefs and assembly members to resolve
community conflicts
- facilitate radio and community peace programs
- set up Satellite Peace Centers with both Muslims and
Christians working as mediators and trainers

This program benefits 8,000 Muslims directly (and about
20,000 people through radio programs). It is focused on
communities with conflict and is funded with approximately
$216,500 from USAID and CRS over five years.

- USAID through Strengthening HIV/AIDS Partnerships in
Education (SHAPE) promotes acceptance of people living with
HIV/AIDS. As such, the SHAPE program not only de-stigmatizes
AIDS victims contributes to the general level of tolerance in
society. The SHAPE program start date was September 2, 2004.

- USAID supports Northern Ghana Peace-Building and Conflict
Transformation (NGPBCT). Also working through Catholic Relief
Services, NGPCBT works to reduce the frequency of violent
conflicts and mitigate ongoing ones in Northern Ghana (where
there is a large Muslim plurality) through building local
conflict resolution capacity. The program will train 500
people.

- USAID through Food for Peace and in cooperation with
TechnoServe/Ghana, runs programs that benefit 3000 Muslim
households, providing technical assistance to farming groups
to improve productivity and access bulk purchasers. The
programs also train farmers in storage best practices and
safe pesticide use, as well as in business management. They
also provide assistance to shea and rice processing groups
(especially female processors of shea butter and rice) and
maize farmers, with funding of $300,000 annually for five
years.

USAID has numerous other programs in health, education, and
governance, from which may Ghanaians (both Muslims and
others) benefit, but those above are the ones most focused on
the specific issues of tolerance and prevention/
discouragement of extremism.


10. (U) Self Help Projects (Short-term)
--------------

Muslim communities in the Upper West, Upper East and Northern
regions benefit from the small projects of the Embassy,s
Self Help program. Over the past three years, the projects
have totaled about $30,000/year. In 2005, $37,000 out of a
budget of $70,000 in Self Help Funds will be for Muslim
communities. Over the years, these projects have included:

- Income generating projects - such as grinding and
processing mills for rice, shea butter, groundnuts, and
maize.
- Craft workshop centers for basket weavers, livestock
rearing for women groups and cooperative groundnut farming.
- Health - by providing funds for a health center building
- Education - providing building materials for primary
schools, feeding centers, vocational centers, libraries and
day nurseries.
- Housing - for teachers
- Water - providing funds for laying of pvc pipes and
provision of standing pipes.

These projects serve to demonstrate to Muslims that our
economic assistance and concern is extended to them as much
as to other Ghanaians. Muslims actually receive higher share
proportionally than persons of other faiths in Ghana, based
on their percentage of the population.


11. (U) Democracy and Human Rights Fund (Short-term)
--------------

- In 2004, the Embassy granted $3,900 to the Islamic
Foundation for Peace and Development for a series of
workshops focused on child rights, including child
protection, the right to education, forced marriage and child
development. The workshops reached approximately 150 adults
and 350 students in Muslim communities of Greater Accra.
Community dramas and movies will also help educate the
communities. We are expanding this program in 2005.

- In 2004, our DHRF program awarded grants to the Berekum
Civic Union which reached 97,000 people with a message of
political tolerance through a tolerance march and other
events. Women in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding used
DHRF funds for a series of workshops and radio programs to
teach women mediation and conflict resolution skills.


12. (U) Other USG Programs Countering Extremism (Long Term)
-------------- --------------

In addition to our Muslim outreach program, other Mission
programs promote tolerance and mitigate against extremism.
The Peace Corps plays a particularly important role in Ghana.
Both Ghanaians and Americans are justly proud that Ghana was
first Peace Corps program to open, and has never had to close
for any reason. Seven-thousand volunteers have served in
Ghana since 1962. The constant presence of PCV's and their
engagement with Ghanaians in all areas of the country have
promoted peace, friendship, and a very favorable attitude
towards the United States. For many Ghanaians, Peace Corps
volunteers are the only Americans they meet. The Peace Corps
has been, and remains, a constant and visible symbol of
American friendship. Despite the vicissitudes of global
relations and fluctuations in attitudes toward U.S. foreign
policy over the years, the Peace Corps presence in Ghana has
been key to stabilizing a positive view--and a sense that we
are long-term friends who will not abandon Ghana.


13. (U) INL
--------------

Our International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL)
programs assist in professionalizing Ghana's security
agencies and to build public confidence in them. The
Department of Justice current provides 14 weeks of basic
policing skills to 30 Ghana Police Service trainers, a
program promoting respect for human rights, sensitivity to
crime victims and community policing techniques. In 2004 the
Embassy funded a new Internal Monitoring Unit to combat
police corruption. In 2002, we introduced five bicycle patrol
teams to Accra. In 2004, we donated 40 more bicycles to
expand this community policing effort to Kumasi. These
programs are aimed at increasing community interaction with
police, breaking down mistrust and preventing the violence
that can occur when communities grow frustrated by
ineffective law enforcement. They undercut support for
extremism by making the GOG more capable of providing
protection for the people and more visibly active in
promoting the public welfare.

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GOG and Local NGO Efforts
--------------


14. (S) GOG officials regularly emphasize peace and
tolerance in their public statements. In his January 2004
State of the Nation address and his 2005 inaugural speech,
President Kufuor emphasized the need for national unity and
tolerance. The GOG is very supportive in the Global War On
Terrorism and in sharing intelligence.


15. (SBU) In the education sector, the national curriculum
pays particular attention to developing Ghanaian national
identity. The government has also demonstrated a strong
commitment to significantly increasing school attendance
among poor and marginalized populations. Enrollment gains in
the Muslim north have been particularly pronounced.
Beginning five years ago, the government started providing
support to Muslim schools. The Ministry of Education's
Islamic Education Unit, established to help mainstream
Islamic education in the national curriculum, has a
moderating influence on Muslim schooling.


16. (SBU) The Ministry of Interior set up a committee of
government officers and civil society elements, to mediate
the Dagbon ethnic conflict. It has worked NGOs to develop an
early warning system for violence and conflict in society.
However, the initiative has not yet been implemented, and the
GOG still works throughout traditional leaders (chiefs of
varying levels) to counter extremism and promote tolerance.


17. (SBU) There are many Ghanaian NGOs and civil society
groups which speak out and work against extremism. These
include the Center for Democratic Development (CDD),the West
African Network for Peace (WANEP),the Christian Council, the
Catholic Secretariat, the Ghanaian Conference of Religions
for Peace, and inter-faith mediation teams in the northern
regions. There are also several Muslim groups active in
this area, such as the Friends Against Global Terrorism
(FAGLAT) and the Muslim Dialogue and Humanitarian
Organization. In addition, Ghana's free, lively media
frequently carries commentary and reports related to
promoting tolerance. An independent National Reconciliation
Committee (NRC) completed its work in seeking truth behind
Ghana's decades of human rights abuses before the current
government. In some ways it has been the institutional
embodiment of moderation in Ghanaian politics and society,
intent on revealing the truth about years of autocratic rule
and human rights violations. But it has rejected a policy of
retribution that might engender a much more dangerous
national extremism/polarization that could undermine present
security and reinforce a cycle of revenge.


18. (SBU) We will reach out to the Tamale Polytechnic, which
boycotted a previous visit by Embassy officers. We will seek
opportunities to speak out publicly against extremism and in
favor of tolerance. We plan to host a Daniel Pearl Music Day
event in October which will give us an opportunity to
reinforce this message. Ultimately, our work to promote
economic and political development are key to promoting an
atmosphere of tolerance. USAID's $50-60 million program in
Ghana, our election observing, our Peace Corps program and
other efforts, help tackle the root of extremism and social
conflict -- poverty and weak political institutions. We will
continue this engagement and continue to publicly praise
Ghana's tolerance and cooperation in counter-terrorism.

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Comment
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19. (S) The level of extremism in Ghana is low and our
outreach programs are extensive. We have made tremendous
inroads with the Muslim community and have an ambitious
program for Ramadan this year. USAID is doing an overall
assessment of Muslim Education in Ghana in FY 2006. We have
built new bridges with the Muslim Dialogue and Humanitarian
Organization, a Muslim youth group which speaks out publicly
against terrorism, and we are expanding cooperation with
Friends Against Global Terrorism. Recently the Vice
President of Ghana publicly acknowledged our work with the
Muslim community. The Palestinian Dean of the Diplomatic
Corps told assembled Ambassadors that he hears about our
Outreach Program whenever he travels in Muslim areas.


20. (C) The Muslim communities we visit seem impressed and
very grateful that we are paying attention to them. We
believe this personal outreach part of the program is at
least as important as the material and financial assistance
we have provided. Our personal engagement with people and
areas that might have previously been ignored is crucial.
Instead of feeling snubbed, some of the dispossessed now feel
more important, and more included in the national and
international scene. In this regard, we also believe we could
have an even greater impact if we had more means to focus on
youth. The lack of educational and recreational
opportunities for youth provide us with an opportunity to
play a huge role if we commit the resources and people to do
it. The Iranians and Saudis seem to have influence in Islamic
schools and mosques with relatively less financial
investment. The greater the engagement we can build and
maintain with Muslims, especially youth, the greater the
sense they have of connectedness to the West, and America in
particular -- and the less threatening we both perceived each
other to be.


21. (S) Ghana in not likely to experience a mass extremist
political or anti-American movement, Muslim or otherwise. It
is now democratic with a fairly moderate traditions of
governance, and appreciation for the necessity of toleration.
Ghana is also pro-American. However, the threat of terrorism
remains clear and present, as the same live-and-let-live
attitude that permeates Ghanaian culture also makes Ghana
susceptible to ease of entry, to bribery of officials, and to
security officers sometimes not noticing when real danger is
present. A determined individual or foreigner (or small
group of foreigners) would have little trouble perpetrating a
deadly attack. In the contemporary social/political
environment of West Africa, Ghana is an important, moderate
friend and ally of the U.S., but its openness, its democratic
government, and its friendship with the U.S. may make it a
more likely target than its less friendly neighbors, and more
vulnerable to a quick and violent terrorist attack by an
individual or small non-indigenous group. Unlike some
places, the moderate and long term trends in Ghana are quite
positive. However, the physical vulnerability of U.S.
personnel in the near term (until we move into the New
Embassy Compound) remains serious, despite the relative
paucity of extremist activity.














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