GoldBod Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, says President John Dramani Mahama has directed the immediate replacement of scanners and personnel at Ghana’s ports following a recent drug trafficking incident linked to the country.
Mr Gyamfi said the development formed part of measures being taken by the government to strengthen checks and controls at Ghana’s ports.
He said the President had also directed that the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) be restored to the list of Port Inspection Agencies with immediate effect.
According to him, NACOC will also be granted unfettered access to Ghana’s entry and exit points by air, land and sea.
Mr Gyamfi said the Commission’s removal from the port inspection system in June 2018 had weakened its ability to detect and prevent narcotics trafficking through the country’s ports.
He said he was confident in NACOC’s ability to contribute significantly to efforts to stop drug trafficking, citing his previous work with the Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey-led Commission in the fight against gold smuggling.
Mr Gyamfi said the restoration of NACOC to the port inspection regime, together with the replacement of scanners and personnel, could strengthen the country’s port security systems.
He expressed the hope that effective implementation of the measures would help prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.