NACOC calls for stronger cross-border cooperation to tackle drug trafficking

The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major-General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has called for stronger and more practical cross-border cooperation among African countries to combat the growing threat of synthetic drugs, cocaine trafficking and transnational organised crime.

He made the call in Ghana’s statement delivered at the closing of the 33rd Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLEA Africa), held in Vienna, Austria, from September 8 to 11, 2026.

The meeting brought together heads and representatives of African drug law enforcement agencies to strengthen regional and subregional cooperation in addressing the illicit drug trade.

Major-General Mantey said the evolving nature of drug trafficking required countries to move beyond fragmented national responses and strengthen intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations and joint operations.

He stressed that no country, regardless of the strength of its law enforcement or border security systems, could effectively tackle transnational drug trafficking alone.

According to him, trafficking networks operate across multiple jurisdictions, with synthetic drug precursors, cocaine and illicit financial flows moving through different countries while exploiting gaps in national enforcement systems.

“Cooperation is therefore not a diplomatic courtesy to be affirmed in closing statements; it is the operational prerequisite for any of our national strategies to be successful,” Major-General Mantey said.

The NACOC Director-General advocated a neighbour-to-neighbour approach as a practical starting point for stronger regional cooperation.

He identified intelligence sharing, joint patrols and coordinated border management as some of the mechanisms that could help neighbouring countries respond more effectively to trafficking networks operating across their borders.

He cited Ghana’s bilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries, as well as cooperation between The Gambia and Senegal, as examples of direct collaboration that could provide a foundation for wider regional and continental efforts.

Major-General Mantey also referred to a high-level dialogue hosted in Accra in November 2025 on “Mapping the Future of Drug Markets in West Africa – Synthetics, Cocaine, Criminal Money, and Strategic Responses.”

He said the concerns raised during the dialogue remained relevant, particularly the growing threat posed by synthetic drugs to young people and the potential for organised crime and illicit financial flows to undermine governance and state institutions.

Major-General Mantey called for cooperation that is timely and operational, allowing intelligence obtained in one jurisdiction to support investigations and enforcement action in another.

He urged African countries to strengthen intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations, joint patrols, border management and other mechanisms aimed at disrupting trafficking networks.

He also reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to strengthening bilateral and regional partnerships and supporting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other member states in reinforcing cooperation against the illicit drug trade.

The NACOC Director-General said the threats discussed at the meeting would persist beyond the conclusion of the HONLEA Africa meeting and urged participating countries to translate their commitments into concrete action.

“We look forward to reporting at the Thirty-fourth Meeting on progress, not promises,” he said.

The meeting was chaired by Ghana’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, Her Excellency Matilda Alomatu Osei-Agyeman.

Ghana’s delegation used the meeting to reiterate its position that the evolving drug threat requires sustained cooperation among African countries, particularly as trafficking networks increasingly operate across national borders.