Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammi Awuku, has questioned the decision to invite heads of security, port and aviation institutions to President John Mahama’s high-level meeting on border security and narcotics control without the Ministers responsible for those sectors.
Mr Awuku, in a Facebook message addressed to President Mahama, raised concerns about the exclusion of the Ministers for Transport and the Interior from the meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Jubilee House.
The meeting follows the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine by French customs authorities from a container shipped from Ghana, with the development renewing concerns about the country’s role in international narcotics trafficking.
In his message, Mr Awuku questioned whether the institutions invited to the meeting now operate independently of their respective Ministers.
“I am wondering if these state institutions now operate without their respective Ministers. If not, why would the heads of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Shippers Authority and Ghana Airports Company Limited, all under the Ministry of Transport, be summoned to such a high-level meeting without the Minister for Transport?” he wrote.
He also raised concerns about the exclusion of the Minister responsible for the Interior, noting that both the Ghana Police Service and the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) fall under the Ministry of the Interior.
“Similarly, why would the Ghana Police Service and Narcotics Control Commission, both under the Ministry of the Interior, be at the meeting without the Minister responsible for the sector?” he asked.
Mr Awuku cautioned against treating the growing concerns over Ghana’s alleged use as a transit point for illicit drugs as an exercise in public relations.
“The growing concern about Ghana being used as a transit point for illicit drugs is too serious for us to treat it as an optics exercise,” he stated.
He further questioned the arrangements for implementing decisions that may emerge from the meeting, particularly the role of the Ministers who have direct responsibility for the institutions involved.
“After this meeting, who exactly is expected to supervise and drive the implementation of the decisions reached?”
“Are we creating another layer of coordination when the Ministers who have direct responsibility for these institutions are not at the table?” he asked.
The President’s invitation, signed by Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, lists the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs among the institutions expected at the meeting but does not include the Ministry of Transport or the Ministry of the Interior.
