The Executive Director of the West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism, Mukhtar Mumuni Muktar, is calling for urgent and sustained investment in youth development as a strategic response to the rising wave of drug and small arms trafficking across the region.
Speaking on ABCNewsGh, Muktar expressed concern over the increasing normalisation of gun acquisition, warning that the proliferation of illicit arms and drugs is steadily eroding societal norms and fueling instability.
“We need to invest significantly in our youth to embrace the culture of peace,” he stated, stressing the need to create a national environment that discourages violence and criminality.
Muktar also highlighted a worrying trend of attacks targeting the education sector in recent years, pointing to the broader implications of unchecked extremism and violence.
“In the last few years, we have begun to record attacks in schools,” he noted, adding that without strategic interventions, the culture of violence could become deeply entrenched.
He believes that instilling peace-building values in the younger generation is not only a preventative measure but a transformative one—crucial for shaping a more secure and resilient society.
