The Minority in Parliament has demanded the immediate suspension of the country’s maritime and port cooperation agreement with Colombia, citing growing concerns over the country’s links to major cocaine seizures at home and abroad.
The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee also wants the Government to suspend the visa-waiver arrangement with Colombia and submit both agreements to a comprehensive national security review before they are allowed to continue.
The demand comes against the backdrop of a series of large cocaine seizures involving consignments linked to Ghana, including a recent seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine by French authorities at the Port of Dunkirk.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo, Samuel A. Jinapor, the Minority said the scale of the seizures was “unprecedented” in Ghana’s history and required urgent action by the government.
The caucus said the developing relationship between Ghana and Colombia had become a national security concern because Colombia remained a major departure point for cocaine shipments globally.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2026 World Drug Report, Colombia, followed by Peru and Brazil, were the main departure countries for cocaine shipments worldwide between 2020 and 2024.
The report further states that cocaine leaving Colombia for North America and Europe is transported primarily by sea.
It is against this background, the Minority said, that Government must subject the new arrangements with Colombia to closer scrutiny.
Tema-Cartagena Link
Ghana and Colombia signed a memorandum of understanding on port cooperation in March 2026, aimed at strengthening maritime connectivity, improving logistics and opening new trade routes between Latin America and Africa.
The agreement provides for cooperation in areas including port management, customs processes, logistics efficiency and infrastructure modernisation. Colombia described the arrangement as part of efforts to open new maritime routes and strengthen its role as a gateway to Africa.
The Minority, however, says the agreement must now be examined against the emerging narcotics-trafficking concerns.
It said the development of maritime connectivity between Tema and Cartagena, coupled with the visa-waiver arrangement, required Government to first establish whether adequate safeguards existed to prevent Ghana from being exploited by international criminal networks.
“Prudence and good governance demand a comprehensive national-security assessment of that arrangement before it is permitted to remain in operation,” the Minority said.
The Caucus therefore wants the maritime and port cooperation arrangements suspended forthwith.
It is also demanding the suspension of the bilateral visa-waiver arrangement and wants the entire framework, including the visa-waiver agreement, submitted to Parliament for a comprehensive security review.
Cocaine Concerns
The Minority’s call follows growing international attention on cocaine consignments linked to Ghana.
A JoyNews Research report published on September 29, citing Belgian customs figures, said Ghana was the fifth-largest country of origin for cocaine seized at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2025.
Ghana was the only African country among the top five, with Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia making up the other four.
Belgian customs recorded nearly 55 tonnes of cocaine seizures at Antwerp in 2025, compared with 44 tonnes in 2024.
The classification, however, refers to the country where a container was loaded and shipped, rather than where the cocaine was produced. The JoyNews report said the cocaine seized from Ghana-linked shipments originated from the Andes and was concealed in legitimate exports.
The report cited several major seizures involving cargo from Ghana, including 2,829 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in cassava flour shipped from Tema to Belgium in November 2025 and a further 1,158 kilogrammes seized in December.
In June 2025, Dutch authorities also seized 4.5 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a timber shipment from Tema at the Port of Amsterdam, while French customs intercepted nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in a container of plastic waste from Ghana at Dunkirk in September 2026.
A separate JoyNews Research tally published yesterday put the number of cocaine cases linked to Ghana since March 2025 at 11, out of 28 drug-related busts recorded in Ghana or involving shipments that left or passed through the country.
The tally estimated Ghana-linked cocaine seizures at about 16 tonnes, with four major foreign seizures in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Dunkirk accounting for about 12.4 tonnes.
Ports Under Scrutiny
The Minority said the seizures had already raised questions about the integrity of Ghana’s ports and could damage the country’s international reputation.
It warned that Government must not compound the concerns by expanding bilateral maritime arrangements before the associated security risks had been properly assessed and addressed.
“Our ports must remain gateways for legitimate trade, and not conduits for international criminal networks,” the statement said.
The Minority has previously demanded a parliamentary inquiry into major narcotics seizures linked to Ghana, arguing that the developments raise questions about port security, customs controls, intelligence gathering and narcotics enforcement.
The latest demand therefore adds a diplomatic and trade dimension to the ongoing debate over Ghana’s fight against narcotics trafficking.
The Minority maintained that the security of Ghana’s borders, the integrity of state institutions and the country’s international reputation must take precedence over the expansion of bilateral arrangements.
It said it would continue to demand accountability from Government and push for measures to protect Ghana’s national interest.
By Ernest Kofi Adu