Perception of Residents of Accra And Tema of The Link Between International Migration And Terrorism

ABSTRACT

There is a global perception that international migration and terrorism are linked. This perception is due mainly to the fact that the 2001 attacks in the United States; 2004, 2007 and 2015 attacks in Madrid, London and Paris, respectively, all involved foreign migrants or their offspring. Though Africa is often classified as a hotbed of terrorism, little research has been conducted to establish the connection between international migration and terrorism. The activities of terrorist groups in West Africa have worsened the security landscape of the sub-region already plagued by bad governance, economic deprivation and conflict. Though, Ghana has not yet experienced any act of terrorism, its location within the sub-region and recent developments in the country make it at a risk of a potential terrorist attack. Ghana has a large immigrant population, mostly made up of West African nationals who are either residing in the country permanently or temporarily. These notwithstanding, there is a dearth of knowledge of any possible link between terrorism and international migration in the West African sub-region in general and Ghana, in particular. Not much work exists on international migration as a conduit for terrorism despite anecdotal evidence indicating some Ghanaian nationals migrated abroad to join terrorist groups. The study, therefore, set out to explore the link between international migration and terrorism, if any, with particular reference to Ghana. To achieve this, the study adopted the mixed methods approach. Through a sample size of 100 respondents, it administered questionnaires and conducted in-depth interviews among the sampled population to extract their views and perceptions of the association between international migration and terrorism. It also adopted the securitization and psychometric paradigms as well as the integrated threat and cultural theories to explain how migration and terrorism are constructed as security threats and the attitudes of people towards these threats. The general outcome was that respondents felt there was no connection between terrorism and international migration. Recommendations such as improving border security, constructing a more security–conscious urban infrastructure to handle crisis situations and increased public awareness campaigns on terrorism and security were therefore made.