Minority demands suspension of Ghana-Colombia port deal over cocaine seizures
The Minority in Parliament is calling for the immediate suspension of Ghana’s maritime and port cooperation agreements with Colombia, citing national security concerns following what it describes as a rise in major cocaine seizures linked to Ghana.
The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee is also demanding that the bilateral visa-waiver agreement between Ghana and Colombia be suspended and that the arrangements undergo a comprehensive security review before Parliament.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 1, 2026, the Minority said the recent cocaine seizures had heightened concerns over Ghana’s security and the integrity of its ports.
According to the Caucus, the concerns are particularly important given Ghana’s growing bilateral ties with Colombia, including the maritime cooperation agreement connecting the Port of Tema with Colombia’s Port of Cartagena.
Ghana and Colombia signed the maritime cooperation agreement in March 2026 as part of efforts to establish direct maritime links between the two ports and boost trade and logistics between Africa and Latin America.
The Minority, however, said the arrangement warranted further security scrutiny because of Colombia’s documented role in the global cocaine trade.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s 2026 World Drug Report identifies Colombia, followed by Peru and Brazil, as the leading departure countries for cocaine shipments worldwide between 2020 and 2024. The report also indicates that most cocaine leaving Colombia is transported by sea.
Against this backdrop, the Minority is urging the government to undertake a comprehensive national security assessment of Ghana’s agreements with Colombia before allowing them to continue.
“Prudence and good governance demand a comprehensive national-security assessment of that arrangement before it is permitted to remain in operation,” the Minority said.
The Caucus is calling for the suspension of both the Ghana-Colombia bilateral visa-waiver arrangement and the maritime and port cooperation agreements.
It further wants the entire framework, including the visa-waiver agreement, to undergo a thorough security review before being brought before Parliament.
The Minority said the recent cocaine seizures had already raised serious questions about the security of Ghana’s ports and cautioned against allowing the concerns to persist.
“Our ports must remain gateways for legitimate trade, and not conduits for international criminal networks,” it said.
The Minority added that it would continue to demand accountability and advocate measures it considers necessary to safeguard Ghana’s national security, institutions and national interest.
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