Ghana has 48 legitimate entry points but over 300 illegal crossing points – Interior Minister

The Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, has disclosed that Ghana has 48 legitimate entry points but more than 300 unapproved crossing points, raising concerns about the challenges facing the country’s border security. He said the numerous unapproved routes posed a security challenge that required stronger cooperation with neighbouring countries, particularly through intelligence sharing and coordinated efforts to address threats across the sub-region. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, October 12, 2026, Mr Muntaka said cooperation among countries was essential to tackling security threats that could extend beyond national borders.

“You have to try and share intelligence; you have to work together,” he said. The Minister’s comments come as he maintains that Ghana’s overall security situation has improved compared with 2025, despite continuing concerns about ethnic conflicts, land disputes, illicit drugs and border vulnerabilities. “I can assure you that we are safer today than we were when we took over power,” he said.

“Ghana is much safer even today than it was in 2025.” Mr Muntaka acknowledged that crime remained a challenge but said the government and security agencies were doing everything possible to protect the public and enable people to go about their daily activities without fear. “We are doing everything possible to ensure that you can go about your duties without necessarily having to be watching your back,” he stated. When asked to provide figures to support his assessment of the security situation, the Minister cautioned against measuring progress solely by comparing the number of deaths recorded in different years.

“Well, I always tell people that I hate the situation when I say, oh, last year, 200 people died; this year, 190 died.” Instead, he pointed to a reduction in the number of curfews imposed across the country. According to him, Ghana began 2025 with about 11 curfews and ended the year with about nine. “As we speak now, we have only three more curfews,” he said.

He cited developments in Bawku in the Upper East Region, where he said there had been no gunfire for 150 days. “150 days, no gunshots,” he stated. According to the Minister, the relative calm had allowed the authorities to ease restrictions in the town, including adjusting the curfew to between 10 p.m.

The Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, says Ghana is safer now than it was in 2025, citing a reduction in curfews and improvements in communities previously affected by conflict. Spekaing on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, October 12, 2026, he said the government was working to ensure that people could go about their daily activities without fear. Asked to provide figures to support his assessment, the Minister cautioned against measuring progress solely through reductions in deaths.