Minority calls for the immediate suspension of Ghana-Colombia maritime agreement

The Minority Caucus on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has demanded the immediate suspension of Ghana's maritime and port cooperation agreements with Colombia, citing security concerns over massive cocaine seizures linked to the country. In a statement signed by the ranking member of the committee and MP for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the minority argued that the situation posed an urgent national security threat.

The caucus emphasized that these concerns had intensified following recent bilateral agreements between Ghana and Colombia, including a mutual visa waiver and a maritime trade arrangement between Tema and Cartagena ports. They pointed to the UNODC's 2026 World Drug Report, which highlighted Colombia as the top departure country for cocaine shipments, predominantly trafficked by sea.

The Minority also cited a JoyNews report from September 29, 2026, which ranked Ghana as the fifth-largest origin of cocaine seized at Europe's Antwerp port, making it the sole African nation and the only non-Southern/central American country in the top five. Acknowledging repeated seizures of large cocaine consignments connected to Ghana both domestically and internationally, the Minority asserted that the bilateral agreements with Colombia necessitated a thorough national security review.

They warned that the government's continued implementation of these arrangements could further jeopardize Ghana's ports and international reputation. The Minority called on the government to suspend the visa-waiver arrangement and port cooperation immediately, and to subject the entire framework to a comprehensive security assessment before Parliament.

They stressed that Ghana's ports should remain legitimate trade conduits, not channels for criminal networks, and reiterated the need for border security, institutional integrity, and national interests.