The Minority in Parliament has called on the government to publish in real time full and verifiable data on drug seizures, arrests and prosecutions recorded in the country since January 2025.
The Minority said the disclosure was necessary to enable Ghanaians to know the extent of the country’s involvement in the international drug trade and ensure greater accountability in the fight against narcotics trafficking.
The call was made by the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, at a press briefing yesterday ahead of parliamentary consideration of a motion seeking the establishment of an ad hoc committee to investigate drug trafficking and related security concerns.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the Minority was concerned about a series of major drug seizures involving consignments originating from or linked to Ghana, some of which were announced by foreign authorities after the drugs had been intercepted at ports outside the country.
He cited the seizure of 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand in a tipper truck in Cape Coast in March 2025, which he said had an estimated value of more than $350 million.
He also referred to an announcement by the Australian Border Force in June 2026 that two containers from Ghana, declared to contain goods, had been found to contain 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, reportedly with a street value of A$296 million.
According to him, French authorities on September 10, 2026, also announced the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine concealed among recycled plastics in a container shipped from Ghana to Dunkirk, France.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the fact that such seizures were being announced by foreign authorities after the consignments had left Ghana raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the country’s scanning, profiling and enforcement systems.
He said the issue could no longer be treated as isolated incidents and called for a comprehensive investigation into how the consignments were assembled, inspected and cleared.
The proposed ad hoc committee, he said, would examine the roles of state agencies, shipping lines, freight forwarders and clearing agents involved in handling the consignments.
It would also investigate whether the financiers and organisers behind the consignments were being pursued and whether their financial trails were being traced.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour further questioned why the financiers behind the Pedu Junction cocaine case had not been identified, noting that three accused persons, including a tipper truck driver and a mate, remained on bail about 18 months after the incident.
He argued that large consignments of cocaine could not be moved solely through the efforts of drivers and their assistants, insisting that the investigation should go beyond those allegedly involved at the operational level.
The Minority also warned that repeated drug trafficking incidents could create the perception that Ghana was becoming a transit point for international drug networks.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the proposed committee would also examine possible complicity by state agencies and recommend institutional reforms to strengthen the nation’s anti-narcotics controls.
The committee, if established, would have powers to summon witnesses and demand documents, while its proceedings would generally be conducted publicly except where national security considerations required otherwise, he suggested.
He stressed that the committee would focus on institutional and systemic issues without prejudging cases before the courts.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour also called on Members of Parliament (MPs) on both sides of the political divide to support the proposed inquiry, arguing that drug trafficking was a national security and public health concern rather than a partisan matter.
He said the Minority’s demand for the publication of drug seizure data was intended to ensure that Ghanaians no longer depended on foreign customs and law enforcement agencies to learn about major drug consignments linked to the country.
The Minority further urged the government to take urgent steps to address the ongoing strike by teachers and condemned the attempted arrest of the Manhyia South MP, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, by officers of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the Minority would raise the latter matter on the floor of Parliament, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the attempted arrest raised concerns about the rule of law.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House