Ghana's Minority Caucus on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has urged the government to immediately suspend the country's maritime and port cooperation arrangements with Colombia. This call is in response to recent cocaine seizures linked to Ghana. The demand was made in a statement signed by Samuel Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Damongo. The Minority Caucus is also calling for the suspension of the bilateral visa waiver agreement between Ghana and Colombia.
The Minority's position comes amid renewed public and parliamentary attention to Ghana's involvement in international cocaine trafficking routes. The Caucus has drawn attention to Ghana's recent arrangements with Colombia, including a maritime and port cooperation framework linking the Port of Tema with the Port of Cartagena. This framework, alongside the mutual visa waiver arrangement, has raised concerns about the potential risks to Ghana's national security. The Minority Caucus believes that these arrangements require a comprehensive national security assessment.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's 2026 World Drug Report, Colombia is one of the principal departure countries for cocaine shipments worldwide. The report indicates that cocaine leaving Colombia is predominantly transported by sea. This information has raised concerns about the potential for cocaine to be transported through Ghana's ports. The Minority Caucus is calling for greater scrutiny of Ghana's ports and international transport arrangements.
Recent Belgian customs figures have also raised concerns about Ghana's involvement in international cocaine trafficking. In 2025, Ghana was ranked as the fifth largest country of origin for cocaine seizures recorded at the Port of Antwerp. Belgian customs intercepted almost 55 tonnes of cocaine at the port during the year, compared with approximately 44 tonnes in 2024. However, it is essential to note that the classification of Ghana as a country of origin refers to the location where the containers were loaded and shipped.
The Minority Caucus argues that Ghana's appearance in the Antwerp figures, together with a series of large cocaine interceptions involving consignments connected to Ghana, requires greater scrutiny of the country's ports and international transport arrangements. The Caucus is therefore asking the government to suspend implementation of the Ghana-Colombia visa waiver agreement and halt the maritime and port cooperation arrangements pending a comprehensive security assessment.
The Minority Caucus is also demanding that the entire framework of the agreements, including the visa waiver arrangement, be submitted to Parliament for detailed examination from a national security perspective. This call follows the Minority's wider campaign for greater parliamentary scrutiny of recent narcotics seizures. Parliament was recalled on September 29 following concerns over major drug seizures.
The recall of Parliament was in response to concerns over major drug seizures, although Speaker Alban Bagbin subsequently ruled a proposed private member's motion seeking a substantive parliamentary inquiry into the seizures inadmissible. The Minority Caucus continues to push for greater scrutiny of Ghana's involvement in international cocaine trafficking routes and the government's response to these concerns.
Key points
- The Minority Caucus is calling for the suspension of Ghana's maritime and port cooperation arrangements with Colombia due to concerns over cocaine seizures.
- The Caucus is also demanding a comprehensive security assessment of the agreements and their potential risks to Ghana's national security.
- Ghana was ranked as the fifth largest country of origin for cocaine seizures recorded at the Port of Antwerp in 2025, according to Belgian customs figures.
