Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) have signed a new cooperation agreement in Abuja, pledging intensified joint action against transnational drug trafficking and organised crime across West Africa.
Speaking during a high-level visit by a Ghanaian delegation to the NDLEA headquarters, the agency’s Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, said their strengthened partnership should serve as a clear warning to criminal networks operating in the region.
“Let this visit serve as a warning to those who seek to destabilize our societies with illicit drugs: Nigeria and Ghana stand united,” he said, adding that both countries would continue to innovate, collaborate, and dominate the tactical space until our streets and communities are safe.
Marwa described the engagement as a strategic alignment aimed at tightening the operational space for drug cartels through shared expertise, joint training, and coordinated interdiction strategies.
At the centre of the engagement was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which both sides described as a major milestone.
The agreement targets the illicit production of psychotropic substances, trafficking of precursor chemicals, and related money laundering activities issues increasingly linked to broader security and governance challenges in the region.
Marwa said the deal provides a legal and operational roadmap that transforms bilateral cooperation into a structured, aggressive, and unified front against drug barons.
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The visit, led by NACOC Director General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, focused on studying Nigeria’s operational model, including intelligence-led enforcement and digital forensics.
Mantey acknowledged Nigeria’s leading role in regional anti-drug efforts, describing the country as an elder brother whose experience Ghana seeks to learn from.
He said the partnership reflects a deep-rooted relationship grounded in shared history and mutual commitment to stability.
“This visit is not about beginning a new chapter, but about strengthening an already solid foundation,” he noted.
He warned that trafficking networks are becoming more sophisticated, with increased use of maritime routes and a growing presence of synthetic drugs.
The expanding links between drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime, he added, carry serious implications for security, governance, and economic development across the sub-region.
“In Ghana, we are also observing a gradual shift,” Mantey said, noting the country’s transition from primarily a transit point to facing a growing domestic drug problem. “No single country can effectively address this threat in isolation.”
Both officials stressed that the success of the agreement would depend on implementation.
Mantey said the Memorandum of Understanding must lead to real, measurable outcomes, including stronger intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, and sustained institutional collaboration.
The meeting, attended by senior officials from both countries and Ghana’s acting High Commissioner to Nigeria, underscores a broader regional push to counter evolving drug trafficking patterns that increasingly span borders and jurisdictions.
