Ghana has seen a proliferation of private security companies in the country. It has experienced a growing demand for security services, due to increased investor activity in the natural resources industry, resulting in a burgeoning commercial, private security sector. This largely meets the needs of international businesses and organisations. However, much of the population cannot afford the services of this sector and instead utilise other non-state and community based systems. Therefore the diverse security sector in the country has varied operations in both the state system and the informal sector.
The Association of Private Security Organization of Ghana (APSOG) has around 40 registered private security companies. According to APSOG there are more than 350 private security companies in operation, including those without licenses or premises. Prominent companies include Magnum Force Security Company Ltd. Ghana which works with government departments, financial institutions, attorneys, accounting firms, hotels, industries and private individuals.
The reliability of Ghana’s police services is slightly above average according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (2012-13). The country was given a value of 4.6 out of 7, compared to the world mean of 4.3. This placed it 55th out of 144 countries, a reasonably high regional position coming below only Rwanda, Botswana and The Gambia in terms of sub-Saharan African nations.
In relation to the business costs of terrorism Ghana scored 5.2 out of 7, below the world mean of 5.4, with 1 indicating a country in which the threat of terrorism imposes costs on businesses to a great extent. In terms of business costs of crime and violence, Ghana scored 4.4 out of 7, compared to a mean of 4.7, meaning the incidence of crime and violence in the country imposes costs on businesses slightly more than average. However, the effects of organised crime impose costs on businesses slightly less than average. Ghana was given a value of 5.1 out of 7, with the top value representing a country in which organised crime imposes no costs on local businesses.
Ghana has a comparatively low rate of homicide – in 2009 there were 1.8 homicides per 100,000 people. This compares with a rate of 18 per 100,000 in neighbouring Burkina Faso and 56.9 per 100,000 in Cote d’Ivoire.
Commercial, private security organisations in Ghana are regulated through a legal framework. However, the proliferation of private security companies in the country led to concerns over the capacity of the Ministry of Interior and the Police Service to oversee the sector. In 2008 this resulted in the Ministry of the Interior halting the issuance of licenses for the operation of private security organisations. The Ministry also worked in operation with National Security to create a comprehensive list of all registered private security organisations. Additionally, in 2012 the Ministry of the Interior embarked on a monitoring exercise on private security organisations (PSOs) to ensure that their licenses were renewed.
