The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has called for comprehensive investigations into the financial networks behind the country’s growing narcotics trade, stressing that drug-related crimes pose a serious threat to national security, young people and families.
The Council made the call in response to an appeal from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Policy Secretariat seeking a non-partisan moral, pastoral and spiritual intervention into the rising concerns over narcotics trafficking and related crimes in Ghana.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Rev. Enoch Nii Narth Thompson, the CCG said it was deeply concerned about recent high-profile interceptions of suspected illegal drugs, including the reported seizure of 3.3 tonnes of cocaine at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast, an interception on the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway and 866 parcels concealed in gari sacks at the Tema Harbour.
The Council urged the Presidency, Parliament, the Narcotics Control Commission, the Financial Intelligence Centre and the judiciary to make full use of existing legal powers to trace the financial proceeds and networks associated with the narcotics trade.
It said investigations must go beyond those who transport or directly handle illegal substances to identify the financiers, organisers and principal beneficiaries of the trade.
The CCG cited the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), as key legal frameworks that provide the state with tools to investigate narcotics offences and track, freeze and confiscate assets linked to criminal conduct.
The Christian Council also announced plans to strengthen its interventions aimed at preventing substance abuse among young people.
It said it is implementing the “Sound Youth, Sound Nation” (SYSNA) programme in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment under a Memorandum of Understanding.
According to the Council, the initiative combines moral and spiritual guidance with government resources to address youth substance abuse, including the misuse of alcohol, marijuana, tramadol and other illicit drugs.
The CCG said it plans to expand counselling pathways, train peer educators and establish community-based support systems across all 16 regions of Ghana.
It will also use its network of churches, youth ministries, religious media platforms and mission-school partnerships to intensify preventive education among young people.
The Council further intends to strengthen the role of its Local Councils of Churches in civic education, community safety advocacy and collaboration with law enforcement agencies to facilitate the safe reporting of illicit activities.
The Council emphasised that its intervention is not intended to support any political party or criticise a particular administration.
It reiterated its constitutional and institutional commitment to political neutrality, saying the fight against narcotics should be treated as a national issue rather than a partisan one.
The CCG also said it would work with other religious bodies, including the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, as well as Muslim and traditional religious groups, to develop a coordinated response to organised crime and substance abuse.
The Council said it would forward its recommendations through its Standing Committee and Executive Council for continued institutional monitoring of the issue.
