Ghana is much safer now than in 2025 – Muntaka

On October 12, 2026, Ghana's Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, declared that the country is safer now than it was in 2025. Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Muntaka attributed the improvement to a decrease in curfews and advancements in conflict-affected communities. He expressed confidence that people could now carry out their daily activities without fear, stating, "Ghana is much safer even today than it was in 2025."

While acknowledging that crime remains a challenge, Muntaka assured that security agencies were taking measures to protect citizens. He criticized the practice of measuring progress solely through the reduction in deaths, instead emphasizing a decline in the number of curfews. At the beginning of 2025, Ghana had approximately 11 curfews, which had dwindled to nine by year's end, and currently, only three remain in place.

Muntaka highlighted the remarkable situation in the volatile town of Bawku in the Upper East Region, which had remained curfew-free for 150 days. This development enabled authorities to ease the curfew to operate between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and allowed residents to use motorbikes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. He recalled that violence stemming from the Bawku conflict had previously spread to other areas, causing retaliatory attacks and burning of buses along highways. He stated, "I mean, and I can bet you, these were periods that I could hardly sleep."

Despite the Minister's positive assessment of the security situation, he identified ethnic conflicts, land disputes, and illicit drugs as ongoing concerns. He also pointed out the challenges posed by Ghana's porous borders, with over 300 unapproved crossing points compared to the 48 approved entry points. Muntaka emphasized the importance of cooperation with neighboring countries in addressing security threats across the sub-region, stating, "You have to try and share intelligence; you have to work together."