IMANI Center for Policy and Education has uncovered a shocking revelation about how unapproved pharmaceutical products enter Ghana’s amidst the country’s opioid crisis.
A deep investigation conducted by the policy think tank reveals that the opioid crisis is not being driven by illicit smuggling as commonly assumed, but through legal importation and clearance at the country’s ports with little to no resistance.
Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe says banned and highly potent opioids such as tafrodol, tapentadol, and high-dosage tramadol, known on the streets as “Tramo” and “Red” are being imported in large volumes with shocking ease.
In his own words, the banned substance enter the ports of Ghana and are easily cleared like candies.
“These dangerous substances, which pose serious neurological threats especially to our youth, are being cleared at our ports almost as casually as importing candy,” Mr. Cudjoe lamented.
In an article cited by The High Street Journal, IMANI conducted this investigation through an intelligence-gathering operations supported by AI tools and collaboration with whistleblowers and government sources.
More shocking, the think tank reveals Ghana is becoming a preferred route for traffickers across West Africa including Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso. This is due to the country’s porous and compromised import systems.
Although authorities have begun burning seized drugs in some cases, IMANI says the effort is grossly inadequate in the face of the scale and openness of the problem.
“You burn 100 boxes today, and a million more arrive tomorrow. That is not a sustainable way to protect the lives of our people. What Ghana needs is not token action but genuine accountability and effective policy enforcement. We can no longer afford to downplay this crisis, it is a ticking time bomb,” Franklin Cudjoe noted.
IMANI believes the opioid crisis at hand is not a smuggling issue. It is a full-blown system failure and hence calling for sweeping reforms and urgent accountability.
