Wings Over the Sahel: Why Ghana and West Africa must build a drone-ready security doctrine
Ghana and West Africa must build a drone-ready security doctrine. Ghana's land borders stretch for more than 2,090 km, running through forests and waterways not designed for modern security. This exposure raises the question of how a country with limited manpower and an overstretched budget monitors a border it cannot physically patrol. The answer being adopted from Kyiv to Bamako is to put eyes and firepower in the sky where needed.
This scenario is already taking place on the continent. Jihadist groups such as Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) have been documented flying kamikaze drones deep within the Sahel, with their reach extending to the borders of Togo, Ivory Coast, and Benin. In January 2026, an Islamic State affiliate reportedly used kamikaze drones in a single coordinated assault on Niamey's international airport in Niger. Benin recorded its deadliest jihadist attack in years, roughly 300 kilometres from Accra. The Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth year, has demonstrated the transformative power of drones.
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Ghana's extensive and often unpatrollable land borders present a significant security challenge, especially with the growing threat of drone warfare
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