Ghana Minute.
Sunday, 23 August 2026
Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Sunday, 23 August 2026
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Ghanaian press · Organization

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Also known as: UNODC

United Nations agency supporting Ghana's drug control, anti-trafficking, and prison rehabilitation efforts through partnerships and technical assistance.

2026-04-272026-08-23

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. August 2026
  2. Joy Online

    The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union (EU), is, therefore, engaging key stakeholders to build a common understanding of the legislation ahead of its implementation.

    Ghana strengthens fight against sea crimes with major Maritime Offences Bill
  3. Joy Online

    Recent concerns raised by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), alongside warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), should serve as a wake-up call to every Ghanaian.

    Losing the next generation? Ghana cannot afford to ignore youth substance abuse
  4. Joy Online

    The initiative follows the implementation of a similar ethics education project in Ethiopia in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    Ghana, Malta launch project to strengthen ethics education
  5. Joy Online

    Earlier this month, QNET announced its formal endorsement of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Public-Private Partnership Framework Against Fraud, following its participation in the inaugural UNODC–INTERPOL Global Fraud Summit in Vienna.

    QNET reaffirms zero tolerance for human trafficking and fraud following reports from Côte d’Ivoire
  6. July 2026
  7. Joy Online

    There are fears among authorities that methamphetamine consumption will grow in Nigeria, where a 2018 survey found that 14.4% of the adult population had used an illicit drug – more than twice the global average as estimated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

    How Mexican drug cartels have outsourced meth labs to Nigeria
  8. Joy Online

    The communiqué further urged international organisations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to support victim identification, reintegration and data collection efforts.

    Trafficked Ghanaians should not be prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit – Forum
  9. Joy Online

    ica during a regional session at the event, which is scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, 2026, under the theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.” His participation follows a regional consultation he led across Africa as part of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

    UN to mark International Youth Day with global dialogue on corruption and young people’s future
  10. Joy Online

    The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Malta through the Malta High Commission in Ghana, following the successful implementation of a similar project in Ethiopia in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    Ghana, Malta launch project ethics to strengthen ethics education
  11. Joy Online

    The endorsement follows QNET’s participation in the inaugural UNODC-INTERPOL Global Fraud Summit in Vienna, where the Framework was officially launched after being introduced by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in March 2026.

    QNET endorses UNODC-INTERPOL Global Anti-Fraud Framework as QNET-EOCO partnership gains international recognition
  12. Joy Online

    The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States government, has commissioned a bakery and vocational training facilities at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison fol

    UNODC commissions bakery and vocational training facilities at Nsawam Medium Security Prison
Politics

Ghana passes Maritime Offences Bill to combat sea crimes

The News

Ghana has passed the Maritime and Related Offences Bill, 2026, which awaits Presidential assent and aims to provide a comprehensive legal framework for preventing, investigating, and prosecuting piracy, armed robbery at sea, trafficking, and other maritime crimes. The Ghana Maritime Authority, in collaboration with the UN and EU, is engaging stakeholders to build understanding of the legislation ahead of its implementation.

12 August 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 12 August

  1. Ghana passes Maritime Offences Bill to combat sea crimes

    Ghana has passed the Maritime and Related Offences Bill, 2026, which awaits Presidential assent and aims to provide a comprehensive legal framework for preventing, investigating, and prosecuting piracy, armed robbery at sea, trafficking, and other maritime crimes. The Ghana Maritime Authority, in collaboration with the UN and EU, is engaging stakeholders to build understanding of the legislation ahead of its implementation.

    12 August 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 7 August

  1. Ghana faces youth substance abuse crisis threatening future generation

    Ghana's youth are increasingly falling into substance abuse, a threat to individual futures and the country's social and economic progress, according to concerns raised by the Narcotics Control Commission, WHO, and UNODC. The growing misuse of drugs such as marijuana, tramadol, shisha, and synthetic drugs is destroying lives across communities.

    7 August 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 4 August

  1. Ghana, Malta launch ethics education partnership for schools

    Ghana and Malta have launched "Project Ethics," a partnership to strengthen ethics education among children and young people through values-based learning, teacher training, and policy support. The initiative will strengthen ethics education through policy dialogue, teacher capacity building, digital learning tools and story-based educational resources, with the goal of helping young people develop critical thinking skills and understand civic responsibilities.

    4 August 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 3 August

  1. QNET denies involvement in trafficking, fraud networks in Côte d'Ivoire

    QNET, a direct selling company, has condemned all forms of human trafficking and fraud, and categorically dissociated itself from individuals and criminal networks allegedly using its name in Côte d'Ivoire. The company reiterates that it does not offer employment, overseas jobs, migration services, visa assistance, recruitment services or investment schemes.

    3 August 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 31 July

  1. Mexican cartels outsource methamphetamine production to Nigeria

    Nigerian authorities arrested three Mexicans and seven Nigerians at an illicit drug laboratory in a forest, where they allegedly produced methamphetamine. The NDLEA described it as the country's largest-ever meth bust, discovering over two tonnes of the drug worth approximately $360 million.

    31 July 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 30 July

  1. Anti-trafficking forum urges Ghana to shield cybercrime victims from prosecution

    An anti-human trafficking forum has called on the Government of Ghana to stop prosecuting victims of trafficking for forced cybercrime, warning that treating them as criminals allows trafficking syndicates to thrive. The forum urged state institutions to adopt a victim-centred approach and ensure that individuals rescued from scam operations are screened as potential trafficking victims before any criminal proceedings.

    30 July 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 29 July

  1. UN marks International Youth Day with corruption dialogue

    The Bright Future Alliance executive director will represent Africa at a United Nations International Youth Day event on August 12, 2026, where young people will examine how corruption affects their opportunities and aspirations. The event will present findings on corruption's impact on youth and explore ways to promote fairness and integrity.

    29 July 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 28 July

  1. Ghana and Malta launch joint ethics education partnership

    Ghana and Malta have initiated the Malta-Ghana Ethics Education Partnership, a joint project to strengthen ethics education and values-based learning among children and young people in Ghana through policy dialogue, teacher capacity building, and pilot school implementation. The initiative was launched in Accra on 9 July 2026, with Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu commending the effort as part of efforts to build a society founded on strong moral values.

    28 July 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 24 July

  1. QNET endorses UN anti-fraud framework, partnership gains recognition

    QNET has formally endorsed the UNODC-INTERPOL Global Public-Private Partnership Framework Against Fraud and participated in the inaugural UNODC-INTERPOL Global Fraud Summit in Vienna. The company's partnership with Ghana's Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) was presented as a case study in public-private cooperation against organised fraud.

    24 July 2026 · Joy Online

Saturday 18 July

  1. UNODC commissions prison bakery and vocational training facilities

    The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, has commissioned a bakery and vocational training facilities at Nsawam Medium Security Prison following a three-year rehabilitation project aimed at equipping prisoners with practical skills for reintegration.

    18 July 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 16 July

  1. Accra Declaration calls for stronger African political finance regulations

    African policymakers, anti-corruption agencies, and civil society organisations have adopted the Accra Declaration on Regulating Financing of Politics to Advance Democratic Integrity in Africa, calling for coordinated continental action to strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in political financing. The declaration, adopted at a three-day conference in Accra held from July 14 to 16, warns that growing influence of money in politics is threatening democratic governance and eroding public confidence in institutions.

    16 July 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 8 July

  1. Ghana risks narco-state status if drug networks infiltrate institutions

    Security analyst Prof Vladimir Antwi-Danso has warned that the attempted export of methamphetamine to Australia reveals serious intelligence failures and possible infiltration of state institutions by organised crime. He cautioned that the incident should not be treated as an isolated act but as part of a larger international drug trade, and said the country must act quickly to prevent becoming a narco-state.

    8 July 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 1 July

  1. Dance and creative arts support rehabilitation in Ghanaian prisons

    Dance and creative expression are being integrated into rehabilitation programmes at Ghana's correctional centres alongside traditional vocational and educational pathways. Prison officers, dancers and mental health advocates argue that creative arts help address the emotional trauma and psychological needs of incarcerated young people beyond what classroom instruction alone can achieve.

    1 July 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 30 June

  1. Real estate sector faces money laundering risks in Ghana

    An analysis examines how Ghanaian real estate professionals may facilitate or prevent illicit financial flows through property transactions, noting that real estate is estimated to absorb USD 1.6 trillion in laundered money annually worldwide and is implicated in 74% of major money laundering schemes globally.

    30 June 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 26 June

  1. NACOC arrests kingpin in US$296 million meth trafficking case

    Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission has arrested the alleged kingpin and two accomplices linked to an international drug trafficking syndicate that shipped 320 kilograms of methamphetamine worth US$296 million to Australia. The arrests followed a three-month intelligence-led investigation after Australian Federal Police intercepted the methamphetamine concealed in charcoal bags at Port Botany in Sydney.

    26 June 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 25 June

  1. NACOC, school urge youth drug rejection through education, empowerment

    The Narcotics Control Commission and UHAS Basic School called for sustained investment in youth empowerment, education and community engagement as tools against drug abuse and trafficking, during the school's third World Drug Day celebration in Ho.

    25 June 2026 · Joy Online

Sunday 21 June

  1. Simons demands transparency on 320kg meth seizure from Ghana

    Australia's border police seized methamphetamines worth approximately $210 million in street value hidden in charcoal containers shipped from Ghana in April 2026. Bright Simons criticizes Ghanaian security agencies for providing no updates on the bust and notes that any charcoal export from Ghana requires permits from the Energy Commission, raising questions about how the shipment was cleared.

    21 June 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 29 May

  1. GJA urges investment in journalism to combat human trafficking

    The Ghana Journalists Association has called for increased investment in journalism, including training, access to information, and safety support for journalists, to strengthen the fight against human trafficking. The call was made at the media launch ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (Blue Day), observed annually on July 30, with this year's theme focusing on sports trafficking.

    29 May 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 20 May

  1. Nigerian delegation concludes correctional practices exchange in Ghana

    A delegation from the Nigerian Correctional Service, led by Assistant Controller General Latakile Cham Cyrus, concluded a learning exchange visit to Ghana organised with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, focusing on prisoner classification, inmate separation systems, rehabilitation programmes, and prison management practices at three facilities.

    20 May 2026 · The Ghanaian Times

Thursday 14 May

  1. Nigerian correctional officers tour Ghana's Ankaful Prison Complex

    The Ghana Prisons Service hosted eight senior officers from the Nigerian Correctional Service and three UNODC officials at Ankaful Prison Complex on May 13, 2026, to strengthen correctional administration through professional learning and exchange of best practices in prison security, rehabilitation, and staff development.

    14 May 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 27 April

  1. Ghana's property market faces multiple legal and institutional risks

    Ghana's real estate sector attracts significant investor interest but conceals legal, institutional and socio-cultural vulnerabilities that expose buyers to financial and legal risks, including issues like multiple sales of single parcels and litigation engineered as business strategy.

    27 April 2026 · Business & Financial Times

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime — Ghanaian press coverage · Ghana Minute