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U.S. Department of State
1996 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, March 1997

United States Department of State

Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs


Africa and the Middle East

GHANA

I. Summary

Ghana remains committed to the fight against drug abuse and the illicit trafficking of narcotics. The Government of Ghana (GOG) admits that cannabis cultivation is a significant problem, but is taking steps against it. Ghana is a party to the 1988 UN Convention. The Narcotics Control Board (NCB) is working to achieve compliance with all provisions of the Convention in spite of the competition for scarce resources.

II. Status of Country

Farmers grow cannabis throughout the country, often on plots also used for staples. Cannabis cultivation is clandestine and the volume of production is not easily determined. Recent arrests and interception of cannabis at Kotoka International Airport, as well as other police interdiction efforts, indicate an upward trend in the availability of cannabis.

Cocaine and heroin arrive from South America and Southeast and Southwest Asia. Consumption of these drugs is increasing within Ghana. Trafficking of cocaine and heroin through Accra's Kotoka International Airport has decreased considerably due to intensified security checks, but the same cannot be said of the western and eastern borders. Nigerian traffickers move cocaine and heroin through the Republic of Benin and Togo largely unimpeded, and Ghana is likely to experience heavier importation through the border stations at Aflao and Elubo. Illicit trade in diamonds, gold and narcotics are responsible for some money laundering, which occurs primarily within the foreign exchange bureaus.

III. Country Action Against Drugs in 1996

Policy Initiatives. The NCB has set out to determine the most effective ways of controlling the drug problem in Ghana. It attempts to coordinate both governmental and non-governmental counternarcotics efforts, and has nearly completed revisions of its narcotics control strategy, placing more emphasis on international awareness and cooperation. The NCB has submitted proposals to the GOG to amend Ghana's Narcotic Drugs Law, seeking to standardize sentences and increase fines. It also wants to have property and funds seized in narcotics cases turned over to the NCB rather than the general treasury.

Accomplishments. The NCB's rapid deployment team joined the police narcotics unit to actively seek out producers/distributors and carry out eradication efforts. The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) narcotics units seized 6.1 mt of cannabis being prepared for export.

Enforcement Efforts. Ghana sent students to take part in several UNDCP courses held in Abidjan. The police cooperate with the NCB and CEPS in interdictions, seizures and arrests. Regional narcotics squads operate in drug-prone areas and on the borders with Togo and Cote D'Ivoire.

Corruption. In April, authorities arrested a prominent businessman with alleged connections to high-ranking government figures for importing 417 grams of heroin by mail, but no official involvement is suggested. Ghana has tough laws against narcotics-related government corruption; there was no evidence during 1996 of corruption within the ranks of Ghana's police or antinarcotics forces.

Agreements and Treaties. Ghana is a party to the 1988 UN Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Ghana is also covered by a 1931 extradition treaty between the US and the UK, although no extraditions took place during the year.

Cultivation/Production. Cannabis is grown throughout the rural areas of the country, often hidden within fields of legal staples.

Drug Flow/Transit. Ghana is a drug transit country. Trafficking routes are old and established; drugs are moved across the borders with Togo and Cote D'Ivoire, by air via Kotoka International Airport and by sea through the ports of Takoradi and Tema. Heroin is still the principal drug transiting Ghana, and Europe the is the primary destination. Nigerian traffickers work in partnership with Ghanaians, with the former often seeking poor Ghanaians to serve as couriers. Both cocaine and heroin seizures increased in 1996, a result both of better law enforcement efforts and increased drug shipments.

Demand Reduction. The NCB is working with local governments and schools to educate both children and adults regarding the dangers of drug use, cultivation and trafficking. Ghana's governmental drug rehabilitation efforts are not as strong as its preventive efforts, but several NGO's opened drug treatment centers in 1996.

IV. US Policy Initiatives and Programs

Policy Initiatives. The USG is working with the GOG to support self-sufficient, well trained antinarcotics forces, and thus to improve interdiction efforts and make Ghana a less attractive transit point for traffickers. The USG will offer training opportunities for GOG counternarcotics agents and will cooperate with Ghanaian counterparts in the fight against international drug trafficking and money laundering.

Bilateral Cooperation. The USG purchased over $8,000 worth of equipment for the NCB in 1996. In addition, US Embassy officials in Accra worked closely with Ghanaian counterparts to combat illicit trafficking and abuse. DEA provided a course in February for 25 members of the police, CEPS and the NCB. The topics covered included asset seizure, financial investigation and money laundering.

The Road Ahead. The USG will continue to support the GOG in its antinarcotics efforts. In addition to including Ghana in regional training plans, US Embassy personnel will work with GOG individuals and agencies to curb the trafficking of cocaine and heroin through the country. The USG also will seek to achieve expeditious extradition of narcotics fugitives wanted by the US.

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