Reflections from Ghana: Building Ghana’s Global Bank

September 14, 2026

• The Ghana Shea Employers Association welcomes the government's proposed restriction on raw shea nut exports.
• The association advocates for a partial restriction (20-30% export) instead of a complete ban on raw shea nuts.
• This partial restriction aims to ensure sufficient raw materials for local processors while allowing exporters to retain international market presence.
• A complete ban is cautioned against, as local processors might lack the capacity to absorb all raw shea nuts produced.
• The association emphasizes that continued large-scale raw exports threaten local processing businesses and the livelihoods of women dependent on the industry.

September 15, 2026

• Ghana critically lacks a national organised crime threat assessment, leaving it vulnerable and fighting crime ineffectively.
• Recent large-scale cocaine interceptions demonstrate sophisticated criminal networks exploiting Ghana's port vulnerabilities, indicating these adversaries have a better understanding of Ghana's weaknesses than the state itself.
• A national threat assessment is a proven discipline globally, used by bodies like UNODC, Europol, and the UK's National Crime Agency, to provide evidence-based information for resource allocation and policy decisions.
• Implementing such an assessment in Ghana would involve ranking criminal markets (e.g., galamsey, drug trafficking, cyber fraud), identifying state-embedded actors, and establishing regular revision cycles.
• This instrument would consolidate fragmented intelligence from various agencies into a unified, evidence-based national priority list, ensuring resources are deployed strategically rather than reactively.

September 15, 2026

• The article highlights Ghana's role as a transit hub for illegal drugs, rather than a producer.
• Recent seizures include US$210 million in methamphetamine and US$261 million in cocaine shipped out of Ghana.
• The core concern raised is how these large quantities of drugs are entering the country in the first place.
• This indicates a serious national security problem, specifically pointing to compromised ports.
• The author urges the President to act immediately, warning that the risk extends beyond drugs to cartels importing and exporting anything with impunity.