Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Director General of Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) – Mr Kenneth Adu-Amanfoh has called for the reinforcement of the collaboration and operational cooperation with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
Mr Adu-Amanfoh made the call when he led a delegation from the Commission to pay a courtesy call on the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of GAF – Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah, at the General Headquarters on Monday, 19 February 2024.
The NACOC Director General emphasized that, it was imperative for the two institutions to deepen collaboration in the areas of training and capacity building, if Ghana is to win its fight against drug-related crimes, and in GAF’s prioritized fight against violent extremism and terrorism (VET).
The Director General highlighted the successes chalked by NACOC, noting that the image of Ghana has improved internationally, as the country is no longer considered as a transit point for drugs, leading to the election of Ghana as the Chair of the Drug Law and Enforcement Agency of the Africa Center of the United Nations Commission for Drug Crimes.
Another success, he revealed was that the UN has selected Ghana to host the international Conference on drugs in 2024.
The CDS, on his part, assured NACOC of the Armed Forces commitment to strengthen its collaboration with NACOC, to enable it accomplish its mandate of enforcing drug laws and drug reduction in Ghana, adding that GAF has in the past, offered its training facilities and human resources, to train personnel of the commission, and is committed to improving NACOC’s training regime.
Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah reiterated the Armed Forces willingness to continue to provide operational support for the Commission to ensure that its personnel conduct their operations safely, especially along the country’s entry routes.
He commended the Commission for their hard work resulting in their winning the confidence of the international community, and registered his commitment to cultivate and enhance avenues for mutual benefit, and building upon the already established cooperation, started by the former CDS – Vice Admiral Seth Amoama.
The Director General present a copy of the New Drug Law and a plaque to the CDS.
Present at the meeting were the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu; Provost Marshall – Brigadier General Ziblim Ayorrogo and senior management staff of the Commission.
