State/INL Ghana Program

Funding:

• FY 2008 - $496,000 (INCLE*)
• FY 2009 - $500,000 (INCLE*)
• FY2010 - $500,000 (INCLE*)
• FY2011 - $500,000 (INCLE*)

*INCLE: International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Funds

Program Goals:

• Assist law enforcement in conducting criminal investigations that support successful prosecutions of mid and senior level members of trafficking organizations.



• Assist prosecutors and judges in prosecuting and adjudicating cases against mid and senior level members of trafficking organizations.

Program Components:

Ghana is a transit country for South American cocaine en route to Europe. Drug trafficking in West Africa is a threat to regional security, good governance, and public health. The proceeds of the cocaine trafficked through Ghana flow back to and reinforce the financial strength of the same organizations that move cocaine to the United States. The Government of Ghana (GOG) and the U.S. government cooperate on valuable counternarcotics operations.

The U.S. government will continue to partner with governments in the region that are dedicated to addressing the threat of narco-trafficking. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) program in Ghana engages law enforcement and justice officials, supporting a comprehensive response to narco-trafficking.

• Law Enforcement Support:
  Ghana’s counternarcotics success requires skilled and equipped law enforcement with a high degree of institutional integrity. The Department of State supports an interagency U.S. government effort to enhance the GOG’s counternarcotics capabilities. A joint Department of State, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Department of Defense initiative seeks to provide specialized counternarcotics training and equipment to an elite group of Ghanaian law enforcement officials.



• Justice Sector Support:
  It is important that Ghana develop, not only strong investigative and operational capacity within its law enforcement community, but also a judicial system capable of prosecuting and adjudicating narcotics crimes. INL assistance seeks to provide training and technical assistance to enhance basic skills, counter corruption, and strengthen judicial institutions through an intermittent legal advisor from the Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training.