28/11/2025
Hon. Muntaka Mubarak
Minister for the Interior & Member of Parliament, Asawase Constituency
Today in Accra, I took part in a High-Level Regional Dialogue on the Drug Market in West Africa.
I highlighted the urgent need for collective action as the region faces a worrying surge in synthetic drugs and co***ne trafficking. West Africa’s drug landscape is changing at an unprecedented pace—synthetic substances are emerging in places they never existed, and long-established co***ne routes are shifting with remarkable agility.
I presented Ghana’s three-pronged approach to confronting this threat:
1. Enhancing operational readiness across our security and enforcement institutions.
2. Putting people at the heart of the drug response, ensuring that communities remain protected and resilient.
3. Deepening cooperation among national, regional, and international partners to strengthen collective impact.
I stressed the need for decisive action rather than rhetoric,
Our citizens are not asking us for eloquent speeches. They expect us to take decisions that shield their children, protect their borders, and strengthen their institutions.
The Netherlands Minister for Justice and Security, Hon. Foort Van Oosten, reinforced this message, underscoring the need for global partnership in tackling drug trafficking. He reminded participants that “no country can defeat drug trafficking alone, but together we can.” He reaffirmed the Netherlands’ commitment to supporting programmes that fight organised and transnational crime, assuring that efforts to confront this challenge will be intensified.
The dialogue seeks to strengthen a coordinated and resilient regional response to the escalating drug threat. Participants are expected to commit to concrete, measurable actions—at borders, within communities, and across national agencies—to safeguard West Africa’s future.