Sammi Awuku questions absence of sector ministers from Mahama’s drug trafficking meeting

Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammi Awuku, has questioned the absence of sector ministers from a high-level meeting convened by President John Dramani Mahama to address concerns over narcotics trafficking through Ghana’s borders. President Mahama is scheduled to meet heads of key state institutions on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Jubilee House to discuss measures to strengthen Ghana’s border security and prevent the trafficking of narcotic drugs and other illicit substances through the country’s ports, airports and land borders. However, Awuku has raised concerns about the decision to invite heads of institutions under various ministries without their respective ministers. In a social media post on September 15, 2026, the Akuapem North MP questioned why the heads of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Shippers’ Authority and Ghana Airports Company Limited, all under the Ministry of Transport, would be summoned to such a high-level meeting without the Minister for Transport. He also questioned the absence of the Minister for the Interior, despite the planned participation of the Ghana Police Service and the Narcotics Control Commission, both of which fall under the Interior Ministry. Who is Jos Leijdekkers?: The European fugitive drug lord linked to Ghana “Mr President, John Dramani Mahama, good evening. I am wondering if these state institutions now operate without their respective Ministers. If not, why would the heads of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Shippers Authority and Ghana Airports Company Limited, all under the Ministry of Transport, be summoned to such a high-level meeting without the Minister for Transport? “Similarly, why would the Ghana Police Service and Narcotics Control Commission, both under the Ministry of the Interior, be at the meeting without the Minister responsible for the sector? “The growing concern about Ghana being used as a transit point for illicit drugs is too serious for us to treat it as an optics exercise. After this meeting, who exactly is expected to supervise and drive the implementation of the decisions reached? Are we creating another layer of coordination when the Ministers who have direct responsibility for these institutions are not at the table?” he said. The meeting was announced through an invitation issued by the Office of the President and signed by Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, on Monday, September 14, 2026. According to the invitation, the meeting will bring together senior officials from institutions responsible for border control, security, ports, customs and law enforcement. Among those expected to participate are officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Ghana Maritime Authority and Ghana Police Service. The National Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Commission, Ghana Airports Company Limited and other operators within the ports and shipping sector have also been invited. The meeting will review vulnerabilities in Ghana’s border security system and explore ways to improve intelligence sharing among state institutions. It will also examine cargo and passenger screening systems, inter-agency coordination and the use of technology to detect and disrupt narcotics trafficking. The Presidency said the discussions will focus on “existing vulnerabilities, intelligence-sharing arrangements, cargo and passenger-screening systems, inter-agency coordination, and the deployment of technology to detect and disrupt narcotics trafficking.” Each institution has been asked to be represented by its head, accompanied by no more than one relevant technical officer. Participants are expected to provide brief assessments of existing security gaps and propose practical measures to improve intelligence sharing, surveillance, screening and joint enforcement operations. The invitation stressed the national-security implications of the meeting and called for the personal attendance of the invited institutional heads. The engagement comes amid growing concerns over the use of Ghana as a transit point for illicit drugs and renewed efforts by security and law-enforcement agencies to strengthen the country’s ability to detect and prevent narcotics trafficking. AM Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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