ABUJA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria and Ghana have agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating drug trafficking through a new partnership targeting criminal cartels operating across West Africa and beyond, according to Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Buba Marwa, chairman of the NDLEA, made the remarks on Tuesday while receiving a delegation from Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Marwa said the growing threat posed by transnational organized crime, particularly drug trafficking and related money laundering activities, requires stronger regional collaboration.
He said the two agencies would enhance intelligence sharing, joint operations and interdiction strategies to reduce the operational space for criminal networks in the sub-region.
Speaking during the visit, NACOC Director General Maxwell Mantey said the new partnership builds on the longstanding cooperation between the anti-narcotics agencies of both countries.
According to Mantey, the agreement covers efforts to combat the illicit production and trafficking of psychotropic substances and their precursors, as well as related money laundering activities.
He noted that links between drug trafficking and other forms of organized crime are becoming increasingly evident, posing challenges to security, governance, and public health.
Mantey also said Ghana is experiencing a growing domestic drug problem, gradually shifting from being mainly a transit point to a country facing rising local drug use and internal distribution.
He added that the memorandum of understanding should lead to practical outcomes, including closer intelligence cooperation, coordinated operations and training exchanges between the two sides.
