Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ACCRA1326
2009-12-15 15:12:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Accra
Cable title:
GHANA 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM
how-toVZCZCXYZ0015 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHAR #1326 3491512 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 151512Z DEC 09 FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8665 INFO RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS ACCRA 001326
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/CT:RHONDA SHORE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS PINS PREL AEMR GH
SUBJECT: GHANA 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM
REF: STATE 109980
UNCLAS ACCRA 001326
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/CT:RHONDA SHORE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS PINS PREL AEMR GH
SUBJECT: GHANA 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM
REF: STATE 109980
1. (U) Ghana is a peaceful, democratic country with some
localized inter-ethnic conflicts in the northern area of the
country. The conflicts are based on local chieftaincy disputes
with political and ethnic overtones. U.S. citizens are not a
target in the conflicts.
2. (U) Ghanaians are generally pro-American. Many members of
government have strong ties to the United States, and the
visit by President Obama in July was a cause for national
celebration. The dozens of billboards welcoming the President
and Mrs. Obama to Ghana that were placed on roadsides
throughout the country prior to the visit remained in place in
December. Radio stations played the hit song QAkwaaba Obama
(Welcome Obama) for months following the President's visit.
3. (U) In 2008, Ghana enacted the Counterterrorism Act that
called for implementation of a national identification card.
The cards will contain bio-metric data such as fingerprints
and photos, but the national identification card has not yet
been introduced. Forms of identification with biometrics are
not in widespread use, although the Ghanaian driver's license
is issued with a fingerprint as part of the individual's
application. Most citizens use their voter registration card
and a passport for identifcation. Ghanaian passports issued
in 2009 were machine readable but lacked biometric features.
In 2010 Ghana plans to begin issuing a biometric passport that
will be machine readable and include a digital photograph of
the bearer. The passport will also contain numerous visible
and ultraviolet sensitive (invisible) security features.
4. (U) Ghana also passed an anti-money laundering law in 2008
that provided for the establishment of a Financial
Intelligence Unit (FIU). At the end of 2009, the FIU was not
yet operational. However, six potential FIU members, including
the Chief Executive Officer, were identified and sent to the
U.S. for training, and the government expects the FIU to begin
work in 2010.
5. (U) USAFRICOM provided technical and training assistance to
the Ghanaian Navy for the three "Defender" class patrol boats
they received in 2008 and the additional four boats delivered
in December. The patrol boats are intended to improve maritime
interdiction capacity and to address Ghana's limited ability
to patrol its porous borders, including its maritime border.
6. (U) USAFRICOM also paid for the construction of a security
room at the Accra airport designed to house a State Department
funded X-ray body scanner that will detect drugs ingested by
passengers. The presence in the airport of sophisticated
screening equipment will serve as a deterrent for any
passenger whose objective is to move unobserved through
GhanaQs international terminal.
7. (U) The governments of Ghana and Togo signed an agreement
in October to cooperate on crime and security problems such
as human trafficking, small weapons trafficking, money
laundering, and counterterrorism. The agreement is part of a
larger strategy to accelerate regional integration and the
free movement of persons, goods, and services and to intensify
trade and economic relations within the sub-region.
8. (U) Embassy point of contact is Political Officer Raymond
Stephens. Email address is StephensRW@state.gov
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/CT:RHONDA SHORE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS PINS PREL AEMR GH
SUBJECT: GHANA 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM
REF: STATE 109980
1. (U) Ghana is a peaceful, democratic country with some
localized inter-ethnic conflicts in the northern area of the
country. The conflicts are based on local chieftaincy disputes
with political and ethnic overtones. U.S. citizens are not a
target in the conflicts.
2. (U) Ghanaians are generally pro-American. Many members of
government have strong ties to the United States, and the
visit by President Obama in July was a cause for national
celebration. The dozens of billboards welcoming the President
and Mrs. Obama to Ghana that were placed on roadsides
throughout the country prior to the visit remained in place in
December. Radio stations played the hit song QAkwaaba Obama
(Welcome Obama) for months following the President's visit.
3. (U) In 2008, Ghana enacted the Counterterrorism Act that
called for implementation of a national identification card.
The cards will contain bio-metric data such as fingerprints
and photos, but the national identification card has not yet
been introduced. Forms of identification with biometrics are
not in widespread use, although the Ghanaian driver's license
is issued with a fingerprint as part of the individual's
application. Most citizens use their voter registration card
and a passport for identifcation. Ghanaian passports issued
in 2009 were machine readable but lacked biometric features.
In 2010 Ghana plans to begin issuing a biometric passport that
will be machine readable and include a digital photograph of
the bearer. The passport will also contain numerous visible
and ultraviolet sensitive (invisible) security features.
4. (U) Ghana also passed an anti-money laundering law in 2008
that provided for the establishment of a Financial
Intelligence Unit (FIU). At the end of 2009, the FIU was not
yet operational. However, six potential FIU members, including
the Chief Executive Officer, were identified and sent to the
U.S. for training, and the government expects the FIU to begin
work in 2010.
5. (U) USAFRICOM provided technical and training assistance to
the Ghanaian Navy for the three "Defender" class patrol boats
they received in 2008 and the additional four boats delivered
in December. The patrol boats are intended to improve maritime
interdiction capacity and to address Ghana's limited ability
to patrol its porous borders, including its maritime border.
6. (U) USAFRICOM also paid for the construction of a security
room at the Accra airport designed to house a State Department
funded X-ray body scanner that will detect drugs ingested by
passengers. The presence in the airport of sophisticated
screening equipment will serve as a deterrent for any
passenger whose objective is to move unobserved through
GhanaQs international terminal.
7. (U) The governments of Ghana and Togo signed an agreement
in October to cooperate on crime and security problems such
as human trafficking, small weapons trafficking, money
laundering, and counterterrorism. The agreement is part of a
larger strategy to accelerate regional integration and the
free movement of persons, goods, and services and to intensify
trade and economic relations within the sub-region.
8. (U) Embassy point of contact is Political Officer Raymond
Stephens. Email address is StephensRW@state.gov