NACOC Calls for Stronger Cross-Border Cooperation Against Drug Trafficking
The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major-General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has called for stronger and more practical cross-border cooperation among African countries to combat the growing threat of synthetic drugs, cocaine trafficking and transnational organised crime.
He made the call in Ghana’s statement delivered at the closing of the 33rd Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLEA Africa), held in Vienna, Austria, from September 8 to 11, 2026.
The meeting brought together heads and representatives of African drug law enforcement agencies to strengthen regional and subregional cooperation against the world drug problem.
Major-General Mantey said the evolving nature of the illicit drug trade required countries to move beyond fragmented national responses and strengthen intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations and joint operations.
He stressed that no country, regardless of the strength of its law enforcement or border security systems, could effectively combat transnational drug trafficking alone.
He said trafficking networks operate across multiple jurisdictions, with synthetic drug precursors, cocaine and illicit financial flows moving through different countries and exploiting gaps in national enforcement systems.
“Cooperation is therefore not a diplomatic courtesy to be affirmed in closing statements; it is the operational prerequisite for any of our national strategies to be successful,” Major-General Mantey stated.
The NACOC Director-General advocated a neighbour-to-neighbour approach as a practical starting point for stronger regional cooperation, emphasising intelligence sharing, joint patrols and coordinated border management.
He cited Ghana’s bilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries, as well as the cooperation between The Gambia and Senegal, as examples of how direct collaboration between neighbouring states could serve as a foundation for wider regional and continental cooperation.
Major-General Mantey also referenced the high-level dialogue hosted in Accra in November 2025 on “Mapping the Future of Drug Markets in West Africa – Synthetics, Cocaine, Criminal Money, and Strategic Responses,” which highlighted the growing threats posed by synthetic drugs, cocaine trafficking and illicit financial flows.
He noted that the concerns raised at the Accra dialogue remained relevant, particularly the increasing impact of synthetic drugs on young people and the potential of organised crime and illicit financial flows to undermine governance and state institutions.
He called for cooperation that is practical, timely and operational, allowing intelligence obtained in one jurisdiction to support investigations and enforcement action in another.
He further urged countries to strengthen intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations, joint patrols, border management and other mechanisms to disrupt trafficking networks.
Major-General Mantey reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to strengthening bilateral and regional partnerships and supporting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other Member States in rebuilding and reinforcing cooperation against the illicit drug trade.
He said the threats discussed at the meeting would not end with the conclusion of the HONLEA Africa meeting and urged participating countries to translate commitments into concrete action. “We look forward to reporting at the Thirty-fourth Meeting on progress, not promises,” he said.
The meeting was chaired by Her Excellency Matilda Alomatu Osei-Agyeman, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Ghana in Vienna, Austria.
Ghana’s delegation emphasised that no country could effectively address the evolving drug problem alone.
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