The women were abducted in Kumasi, and security sources have suggested it was a kidnapping for ransom. Two Canadian women who were volunteering with an international development organisation have been abducted in Ghana , a rare attack in a country seen as one of the most secure in the West African region.
But they said they are volunteers with the group Youth Challenge International, a Canadian international development organisation with its headquarters in Toronto.
The group works in 16 countries across South America, Africa and Asia, working to support development projects for young people in areas such as health, education and employment. In April, an Indian man was reportedly abducted, also in Kumasi, by an armed gang demanding a cash ransom. He was swiftly rescued by police. Tourism is an important industry for Ghana, and Kumasi, the historic capital of the Ashanti kingdom, is a favourite destination.
Ghana is a country of some 30 million people, where more than two-thirds of people follow Christianity and the rest Islam and other religions. It has long been seen as a bulwark of stability in a region struggling to contain multiple groups of Islamist militants. This article is more than 1 year old. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo. AFP in Accra. Police did not release the names of the women.
Security sources suggested this was a kidnapping for ransom. Kidnappings and violent crime towards foreigners are rare in Ghana.
