Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has defended his description of Ghana as a potential “hub” for cocaine-related activities, saying the remark was made metaphorically to provide context to concerns raised by government officials.
He said the statement should not be construed as an assertion that Ghana is a cocaine hub, and therefore does not require him to provide evidence to substantiate such a claim.
Speaking in an interview on Adom TV’s Badwam, Mr Afenyo-Markin said his comment was informed by concerns over allegations that cocaine is being trafficked through Ghana’s borders, as well as statements attributed to government officials suggesting possible official involvement.
“It is not a matter of evidence. The statement was what I will call metaphorical; it was a metaphor,” he said.
He explained that repeated reports of cocaine allegedly being trafficked through Ghana, alongside related arrests, had raised concerns about the effectiveness of the country’s border control systems.
“If you are allowing your corridors to be flooded with cocaine and every now and then there are arrests, cocaine passes through your borders without any proper checks, when your own Cabinet Minister comes to say that, one, there are government officials involved, and two, the foreign partners don’t trust Ghana because they feel that our system is compromised,” he added.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said, in his view, such circumstances could create an environment conducive to the illicit cocaine trade.
“What you are telling us is that you have created a lab for a cocaine business to drive,” he noted.
He further explained that his use of the term “hub” was intended to illustrate how Ghana could potentially serve as a transshipment point if cocaine entered the country and was subsequently moved to other destinations.
“So the language used was a metaphor and basically situating what we find out ourselves in a certain context. If you allow your corridors to be used and it gets out of control, obviously you are creating a hub for that business to be processed,” he added.
The Minority Leader maintained that his comments were not made in isolation but reflected concerns previously raised by the Interior Minister.
“So what the Minority said, they were only reechoing what the Minister of Interior has said.”