The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has called for the immediate suspension of the Ghana-Colombia maritime shipping agreement, citing a surge in large-scale cocaine seizures linked to Ghana.
In a statement signed and issued on October 1, 2026 by the Ranking Member, Mr. Samuel A. Jinapor who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo, the Minority said the developments are “unprecedented in the history of our country.”
The Caucus said government earlier this year entered into a mutual visa-waiver arrangement with Colombia and concluded a maritime trade deal to link the Port of Tema to the Port of Cartagena.
The Minority said this has become a national-security concern because the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in its World Drug Report 2026 published in June, identifies Colombia as the world’s leading departure country for cocaine shipments, the majority of which are trafficked by sea.
It also cited a JoyNews report of 29th September, 2026, which said Belgian authorities ranked Ghana the fifth-largest country of origin for cocaine seized at the port of Antwerp — the entry point for cocaine into Europe.
“That Ghana is the only African country, and the only country outside Southern and Central America in the top five is troubling, and these findings cannot be ignored,” the statement said.
The call comes against the backdrop of multi-tonne seizures abroad traced to Ghanaian exports.
This includes the NL Times report that Dutch Customs found nearly 4,500 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a shipment of wood from Ghana on June 13, 2025, at the Port of Amsterdam. The report said the timber was intended for a German company that prosecutors allege was a front for international drug trafficking.
The haul, valued at nearly $500 million street value, was described as the largest ever at Amsterdam.
The Minority argued that at a time when such consignments are repeatedly intercepted, prudence demands a comprehensive security assessment.
“The recent seizures have already called into question the integrity of our ports and have severely damaged Ghana’s standing in the international community,” the Caucus said.
The Minority is therefore calling on Government to suspend forthwith the Ghana-Colombia bilateral visa-waiver arrangement.
It is also calling on government to suspend the implementation of the maritime and port cooperation arrangements as well as submit the entire framework to a comprehensive security review before Parliament.
“Our ports must remain gateways for legitimate trade, and not conduits for international criminal networks.
The security of our borders, the integrity of our institutions and the good name of the Republic must come first,” Mr. Jinapor said.
