Over 4,200 transhumant herders, 100,000 livestock recorded in Upper East and Upper West – IOM
More than 4,200 transhumant herders and nearly 100,000 livestock were recorded moving along key transhumance corridors in the Upper East and Upper West regions between June and November 2025, highlighting growing pressure on land and water resources and the need for stronger measures to prevent farmer-herder conflicts.
The figures, released by the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Transhumance Tracking Tool (TTT), also showed that more than 40 early warning alerts were recorded during the same period, with most linked to disputes over grazing land and access to water.
The findings were discussed during a national workshop on transhumance and farmer-herder relations held on August 5, 2026, by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) in collaboration with IOM through the multi-donor Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM).
The workshop brought together national institutions, regional authorities, development partners, civil society organisations and technical experts to identify practical ways of improving the management of seasonal livestock movement and promoting peaceful coexistence between farming and pastoralist communities in northern Ghana.
Speaking on behalf of the National Security Coordinator, Director of Ghana’s National Counter-Terrorism Fusion Centre, Major General Timothy Ba-Taa-Banah, said the country must adopt preventive and evidence-based approaches to address emerging security challenges.
“The workshop demonstrates our collective commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s peace, strengthening national resilience and addressing emerging national security challenges through dialogue, partnership and evidence-based policymaking,” he said.
Participants reviewed existing regulations governing transhumance, discussed implementation challenges and explored ways to strengthen coordination among institutions responsible for managing livestock movement.
IOM said its Climate Change and Migration Data Programme and Displacement Tracking Matrix have helped map transhumance corridors, pastoral infrastructure and conflict hotspots, providing authorities with data to improve early warning systems and coordinated responses.
The CSSM has also supported the development and gazetting of district bye-laws regulating livestock movement, land use and dispute resolution in selected districts of the Upper West Region.
IOM Ghana Chief of Mission, Fatou Diallo Ndiaye, stressed that lasting peace requires both evidence and collaboration.
“Data alone cannot prevent conflict, and policy alone cannot build peace. But when evidence, dialogue and collaboration come together, they become powerful tools for strengthening resilience and fostering peaceful coexistence,” she said.
The workshop ended with a commitment to strengthen cross-district and cross-border collaboration, improve information sharing between Regional and District Security Councils, and sustain dialogue among farmers, herders, traditional authorities and government agencies to prevent future conflicts linked to transhumance.
Source: Abdul Wahab Yumzaa Yakubu/Zaaradio.com
