Minority demands suspension of Ghana-Colombia port and visa-waiver deals over cocaine fears

Pinned summary · as of 20:50

Opposition MPs on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee are asking the government to halt its maritime and port cooperation arrangements with Colombia, together with a visa-waiver pact between the two countries. Their statement, issued under the name of the committee's Ranking Member, Samuel A. Jinapor, says recent cocaine seizures tied to Ghana have turned the arrangements into a national security matter.

What we know

• Minority members of the Foreign Affairs Committee want Ghana's port and shipping cooperation with Colombia suspended, saying cocaine trafficking raises national security concerns.
• Their statement makes the same request for the visa-waiver pact that lets Ghanaians and Colombians travel between the two countries without a visa.
• The Minority also wants every one of the agreements tabled in Parliament so the full framework can get a comprehensive security review.
• Mr Jinapor, who is the committee's Ranking Member, signed the statement.
• As part of its argument, the Minority pointed to a UN drug agency report for 2026, released in June, which it said names Colombia as the main starting point for cocaine shipments worldwide, mostly by sea.
• It also pointed to a JoyNews story saying Belgian authorities place Ghana fifth among the countries that cocaine seized in Antwerp's port came from, and observed that no other African nation appears among those five.
• The Minority said Ghana-linked cocaine hauls weighing several tonnes have been seized more than once, in the country and overseas, and that this has put the integrity of the ports and Ghana's reputation in question.
• The new demands follow a previous attempt by the Minority to get Parliament recalled amid fears that Ghana is turning into a drug transit point.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

• ?
  MyJoyOnline reported that Parliament was recalled on 29 September and that Speaker Alban Bagbin then declared the Minority's motion seeking a parliamentary inquiry out of order, pointing to investigations and court proceedings already under way. No other report has carried this.
• ?
  MyJoyOnline and Citi Newsroom described the Colombia arrangements as a mutual visa-waiver deal plus a maritime link between the ports of Tema and Cartagena, and Citi Newsroom dated the maritime agreement to March 2026. The other reports do not give these details.
• ?
  Citi Newsroom said the UN report lists Colombia first, followed by Peru and Brazil, among the main origins of cocaine shipments between 2020 and 2024; other reports do not mention this detail.
• ?
  YEN.com.gh recalled its earlier report that President John Dramani Mahama ordered an inter-agency task force to plan how to stop drug smuggling through Ghana's borders after a 17 September emergency meeting with security chiefs, with two weeks to produce a roadmap. This has not been confirmed by other reports.
• ?
  The Custodian, citing NL Times, said Dutch customs officers uncovered close to 4,500 kilograms of cocaine inside a wood consignment shipped from Ghana to Amsterdam's port on 13 June 2025, with a street value near $500 million. Prosecutors quoted in that report allege the timber was bound for a German firm that served as a cover for drug trafficking. No other report has confirmed this.

Why it matters for Ghana

The Minority's demands touch two things that affect many Ghanaians: how safe and trusted the country's ports are, and who can travel to Ghana without a visa. Tema is a main entry point for goods, so any questions about port security matter to traders and shippers who use it. The dispute will also show how far Parliament can examine agreements signed by the government.