The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has declared that Ghana has become a major transit point for international narcotics trafficking, accusing the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of failing to protect the country’s ports, airports and borders.
Addressing a press conference at the NPP headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the party’s National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, described the situation as a national security crisis and demanded the immediate recall of Parliament to investigate the growing number of major drug seizures linked to Ghana.
According to Mr Boakye, the NPP has identified 12 major narcotics interceptions involving Ghana since 2025, either within the country or in foreign jurisdictions involving Ghana-linked consignments.
He said the seizures included cocaine allegedly concealed in sand transported in tipper trucks, traditional artefacts, gari and other Ghanaian food products, plastic waste and charcoal consignments, as well as narcotics allegedly carried through international passenger and private aircraft channels.
“The evidence before us shows we have arrived. Ghana has become a Cocaine Coast, and this Government must own that shame and quickly find a solution to this mess,” he said.
The NPP estimates that the street value of the major narcotics seizures linked to Ghana between 2025 and September 2026 exceeds US$1 billion.
Mr Boakye argued that the frequency and sophistication of the seizures warranted a comprehensive examination of Ghana’s security architecture rather than treating each incident as an isolated criminal case.
He alleged that weaknesses at ports and airports may have been exploited by trafficking networks and called for investigations into whether any public officials or persons with privileged access to state institutions had facilitated the movement of narcotics.
The NPP has, however, presented these allegations as matters requiring investigation. No finding of official complicity has been established merely by the seizures cited by the party.
The party has specifically called for Parliament to be recalled and for a bipartisan special committee to conduct a public inquiry into the drug seizures linked to Ghana.
The proposed committee, according to the NPP, should have powers to summon witnesses and compel the production of shipping documents, inspection records and clearance decisions.
Mr Boakye also called for the removal of several senior officials responsible for Ghana’s ports, maritime administration, narcotics control, national security, intelligence, aviation, customs and policing institutions.
Among those targeted are the Chief Executive of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Commission, National Security Coordinator, Director-General of the National Intelligence Bureau, Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited, Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority’s Customs Division and Inspector-General of Police.
The NPP further demanded a public account of the financiers and organisers behind the major seizures, arguing that investigations should go beyond the arrest of suspected couriers.
Mr Boakye said the party also wanted a time-bound investigation into alleged official complicity, including claims concerning individuals who may have had access to the Presidency.
He linked the demand to the arrest of a suspect identified by the party as Musah Atta, whom the NPP says has previously appeared in photographs and videos associated with presidential and vice-presidential security personnel.
Those claims require verification by the relevant security and investigative authorities, and any connection between the suspect and the cocaine shipment would need to be established through evidence and due process.
The NPP also questioned the continued presence of senior officials responsible for Ghana’s strategic trade infrastructure, particularly at Tema Port.
Mr Boakye questioned the extension of the contract of the officer currently overseeing the port, arguing that the decision deserved public scrutiny given the narcotics seizures associated with Ghana’s maritime trade.
He further raised questions about an alleged family connection between the officer and the Minister for Finance, but did not establish that such a relationship influenced the appointment.
The NPP said the government must provide an explanation for the decision and demonstrate that appointments to critical security and trade institutions are based on competence and transparent criteria.
Turning to Parliament, Mr Boakye said the scale of the allegations required lawmakers to return from recess and exercise their constitutional oversight responsibilities.
The NPP therefore urged the Speaker to recall Parliament and establish a bipartisan committee to investigate the seizures in public.
“If this government has nothing to hide, it has nothing to fear from a bipartisan committee sitting in the open,” he said.
The party also criticised what it described as an attempt to divert public attention through the arrest and remand of Salomey Awiti Baffoe in connection with the “Ghana Jollof” social-media account, arguing that the development should not distract attention from the wider narcotics controversy.
“You promised Ghanaians a 24-Hour Economy. You did not promise them 24-Hour Cocaine Trafficking,” he said.
The NPP is demanding four major actions: the immediate recall of Parliament; a bipartisan public inquiry; removal of the heads of key security, port, aviation and narcotics institutions; and a transparent investigation into the financiers, organisers and any possible official facilitators behind the narcotics shipments.
