President John Dramani Mahama has convened a high-level meeting with key security, intelligence, maritime, aviation and port-sector institutions to review Ghana’s border security arrangements and strengthen efforts to prevent the trafficking of narcotic drugs and other illicit substances into and through the country.
The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Jubilee House in Accra, is expected to bring together the heads of institutions with direct responsibility for Ghana’s ports, airports, land borders, cargo screening, intelligence gathering and narcotics enforcement.
According to an invitation issued by the Office of the President on Monday, September 14, the meeting has been necessitated by the need to strengthen Ghana’s capacity to detect and disrupt the movement of narcotics through the country’s ports, airports and land borders.
The discussions will focus on identifying existing vulnerabilities within Ghana’s border-control system and developing practical measures to address gaps that could be exploited by drug traffickers and other organised criminal networks.
Among the key areas to be reviewed are intelligence-sharing arrangements, cargo and passenger-screening systems, inter-agency coordination, surveillance capabilities and the deployment of technology** to detect illicit substances.
Participants will also be expected to assess the effectiveness of current security measures and identify areas requiring greater coordination among state institutions and private-sector operators involved in Ghana’s trade and transportation infrastructure.
The Presidency has directed that each participating institution be represented by its head, accompanied by no more than one relevant technical officer.
Participants have also been instructed to come prepared with a brief assessment of existing security gaps within their respective areas of responsibility.
They are expected to propose practical interventions aimed at improving intelligence sharing, surveillance, screening procedures and joint enforcement operations.
The high-level meeting will involve a broad range of institutions whose operations are critical to Ghana’s border and national security architecture.
They include the Chief of Naval Staff, the Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Sector Commander of the Customs Division, Tema Collection.
Also invited are the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority, operators of terminal scanners, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Link Network Services Limited, the Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, and the Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Port Services Limited.
The security and intelligence community will be represented by the Director-General of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), the Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and the Ghana Police Service Criminal Investigations Department (CID)/INTERPOL.
The Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited has also been invited, reflecting the focus on preventing narcotics trafficking through Ghana’s aviation gateways.
The Minister for Finance and Minister for Foreign Affairs have additionally been invited to the meeting, with the Presidency stressing the importance of the Finance Minister’s personal attendance given the national-security implications of the discussions.
The meeting comes amid heightened concerns over the use of international transportation and trade routes to facilitate the movement of illicit drugs and other prohibited substances.
Ghana’s ports, airports and land borders serve as major entry and exit points for legitimate international trade and travel, making effective screening, intelligence coordination and risk assessment crucial to preventing criminal exploitation of these facilities.
The Presidency’s invitation suggests that the government intends to take a coordinated approach by bringing together agencies responsible for intelligence, law enforcement, customs, maritime security, aviation and port operations.
Rather than addressing narcotics trafficking solely as a law-enforcement issue, the meeting is expected to examine the entire security chain—from intelligence gathering and risk profiling to cargo and passenger screening, surveillance, detection and subsequent enforcement.
Technology is also expected to feature prominently in the discussions, particularly the use of screening and surveillance systems to improve the ability of authorities to identify suspicious cargo and activities.
A major component of the meeting will be the strengthening of collaboration among the various agencies operating at Ghana’s borders and strategic transportation points.
The Presidency has specifically identified intelligence sharing and joint enforcement operations as areas requiring attention.
This could involve improving the flow of actionable intelligence between intelligence agencies, Customs, NACOC, the Police Service, maritime authorities, airport authorities and port operators to ensure that potential threats are identified and acted upon promptly.
The meeting is therefore expected to provide an opportunity for the participating institutions to highlight operational challenges and propose measures that could improve Ghana’s overall border-security framework.
The Office of the President described the meeting as urgent, citing its national-security implications, and has consequently required the personal attendance of the heads of the institutions invited.
The invitation was signed by the Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, Ph.D., and dated September 14, 2026.
The outcome of the meeting could shape the government’s next steps in strengthening Ghana’s border controls and its broader strategy to combat the trafficking of narcotic drugs and other illicit substances through the country.
By 1960news.com
