Claim: Ghana ranks 2nd in Africa as a cocaine transit hub.
Source: Palgrave Boakye Danquah, NPP communicator
Verdict: False
Researched by Alfa Shaban
A lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Dr. Palgrave Boakye Danquah, contributing to recent issues around busts of hard drugs linked to Ghana, claimed Ghana has become a major transit hub for cocaine.
Speaking on TV3’s The Agenda show on September 15, 2026; Boakye Danquah, who is also a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) said: “To state very clearly that Ghana has gradually become a market for some of these transits, the data is very clear that we have become number two biggest transit of cocaine in Africa.” (watch from 4:50 onwards)
He emphasized the claim later in the programme and when asked the source of the data he was referencing he responded: “United Nations, this data is from (the) United Nations, you can check the record there… the United Nations World Drug report.” (watch from 7:45 onwards)
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“We will verify that and get back to you,” the host of the show, Beatrice Adu, assured viewers but a day after, TV3 shared a quote card with the number two biggest transit of cocaine in Africa claim across their social media platforms (here, here, here).
This report will investigate whether the UN drug report has ranked Ghana as a top cocaine transit hub.
Fact-check
GhanaFact reviewed data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) since Dr. Boakye Danquah referred to the UN World Drug Report when asked for a source of his claim.
We reviewed into detail the 2025 and the 2026 World Drug reports taking into account how many times Ghana appeared in both reports. We found the following:
- In both reports, there was no ranking of countries with drug transit hub metric, and so Ghana has not been ranked as second in Africa as a cocaine transit hub.
- Ghana appeared thrice and five times in the 2025 and 2026 reports respectively.
- None of the combined eight references was connected to cocaine transit or trade.
Monica Juma, UNODC Executive Director in her preface to the 2026 World Drug Report stated: “As the most comprehensive and authoritative assessment of the world drug problem, the report provides the international community with a vital source of evidence on drug production, trafficking and consumption trends, and their impacts on health, security and communities.”
We sent a correspondence to the UNODC headquarters but we did not receive a response. GhanaFact also reached out to Dr. Boakye Danquah to share any other sources of data he relied on to make his claim. “I have handed over this to my research team – they will work with you. Thank you,” he told us via WhatsApp.
Verdict:
Dr. Boakye Danquah’s claim that Ghana ranks second in Africa as a cocaine transit hub is False!
NB: Once the research team shares their data with us, this report will be updated.
