The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Brigadier General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has raised alarm over a growing security threat in the sub-region, revealing that West Africa is rapidly evolving from a transit corridor for international drug traffickers into a full-scale production zone.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day regional dialogue on Friday in Accra, he cautioned that the shift could undermine national stability, fuel organised crime, and strain already fragile security systems across West Africa.
“This transformation from transit to production is not just a narcotics issue; it is a regional security concern,” he stressed.
He highlighted ongoing interventions, including intensified intelligence-led operations at national borders and enhanced precursor chemical monitoring by NACOC personnel.
However, he emphasised that these measures, though effective, require strong cross-border collaboration to keep pace with emerging trafficking networks and new synthetic substances entering the region.
Brigadier General Mantey explained that, the dialogue will enable participants to build a shared understanding of how synthetic markets are evolving in West Africa and strengthen early warning and information sharing systems, especially on new substances and trafficking methods.
“It will also help develop actionable steps in intelligence, as well as financial investigations and training that can be implemented collectively to tackle the issue”, he added.
He urged participating countries and organisations to openly share experiences and challenges, stressing that only collective, coordinated action can effectively curb the production, distribution, and rising local consumption of synthetic drugs.
Brig. Gen. Mantey expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and other partners for their continued support in strengthening regional resilience against the drug threat and reaffirmed NACOC’s commitment to working closely with stakeholders to dismantle drug networks and prevent West Africa from becoming entrenched as a global production hub.
Judith Twumwaa, ISD
