Denmark, UNDP Renew $4.6M Partnership to Boost Peace, Jobs, and Growth Across West Africa’s Atlantic Corridor

For many small traders, farmers, and fishermen living along Ghana’s borders, peace is more than the absence of conflict. It is the ability to move goods across borders, trade freely, and earn a living without fear. But rising insecurity and limited job opportunities in parts of West Africa have made that dream harder to sustain.

A renewed partnership between Denmark and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) seeks to change that narrative by linking peacebuilding with economic opportunity.

The Embassy of Denmark in Accra and UNDP have signed a new agreement to launch Phase II of the Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism in the Atlantic Corridor project. Denmark is contributing DKK 30 million, about USD 4.6 million, to the initiative, which will run from 2025 to 2028 and cover Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo. The renewed partnership is designed to strengthen peace, improve security, and create jobs along the Atlantic Corridor, a key trade route that links some of the region’s most important markets and ports.

The agreement builds on lessons from the first phase of the project, which helped establish more than 50 community-level early warning systems and trained nearly 1,700 youth and women in livelihood and entrepreneurship skills. It also significantly improved awareness about violent extremism prevention among local populations, rising from 23 percent to 97 percent.

For many residents, these gains translate into safer communities, stronger local businesses, and renewed hope for a more stable future. In areas once marked by fear and limited opportunities, young people are finding new reasons to stay and build their lives.

UNDP Resident Representative Niloy Banerjee said the initiative represents a practical response to the region’s intertwined challenges of insecurity and unemployment. “By creating opportunities and building community resilience, we are addressing insecurity from the ground up. Peace is not sustainable unless people have livelihoods,” he said.

Denmark’s Ambassador to Ghana, Jakob Linulf, underscored the importance of stability in West Africa to both African and European interests. “Instability and terrorism are common challenges for Africa and Europe. Our partnership with UNDP reflects Denmark’s continued engagement to promote peace and development in West Africa,” he said.

The project also focuses on cross-border collaboration among security agencies, community leaders, and local governments. By linking peacebuilding with economic empowerment, it aims to make border communities less vulnerable to extremist recruitment and to foster stronger ties among neighbouring countries.

Phase II will deepen its focus on entrepreneurship support, community resilience, and early warning systems, while expanding training for at-risk youth and women. It will also improve coordination between national governments and local peace structures to ensure more effective regional responses to security threats.

For Ghana and its neighbours, the project carries significant economic and social weight. The Atlantic Corridor connects markets from Abidjan to Lagos, serving as a vital artery for regional trade, transport, and livelihoods. Protecting it from instability is key to sustaining growth across West Africa.

By tying peace to prosperity, Denmark and UNDP are betting on a model that sees human security and economic opportunity as two sides of the same coin. Their partnership is not only about preventing violence but also about helping ordinary people across the region live and work in dignity.

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