Punikrom to get army base as Mahama moves to curb border crime and insecurity in Western North

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that a Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Ghana Armed Forces will be established at Punikrom, a border town in the Western North Region, to help address rising security threats along Ghana’s frontier with Côte d’Ivoire.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, during a durbar in Juaboso, as part of Mr Mahama’s Thank You Tour.

He said the base was in response to appeals from traditional authorities and growing concern over cross-border crime, smuggling, and illegal mining in the area.

“We are establishing a Forward Operating Base of the Ghana Armed Forces in Punikrom, as requested by Nananom, to respond swiftly to security threats and border-related crimes,” Mr Mahama said to applause from residents and chiefs.

The military presence is expected to strengthen patrols, improve intelligence-gathering, and deter criminal activity in the region. Western North, created in 2019, shares a long and porous border with Côte d’Ivoire, making it a hotspot for the unregulated movement of goods and people.

Mr Mahama said peace and security must be prioritised, particularly in areas earmarked for investment under the NDC’s proposed ‘Big Push’ infrastructure programme.

The Punikrom base will host personnel tasked with surveillance, anti-smuggling operations, and rapid response duties.

It is also expected to counter illegal mining and other illicit activities undermining law enforcement in the region.

Local chiefs have repeatedly called for permanent security infrastructure, arguing that the absence of such facilities has left their communities exposed and unattractive to investors.

“This is not just a security intervention, it’s a developmental one,” said Nana Osei Kwadwo, a local chief, after the former President’s remarks. “We have waited too long for this.”

The initiative forms part of a broader discussion on decentralising security deployments across the six new regions, many of which lack basic public infrastructure.

Mr Mahama also indicated that the base would be supported by the recruitment of local youth into the security services, subject to financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance.