His Excellency Jürgen Heissel, Austrian Ambassador to Ghana, has pledged support for the Narcotics Control Commission’s efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and abuse in Ghana and the sub-region.
He acknowledges Ghana’s efforts in implementing UNODC conventions as a motivating factor to collaborate with NACOC in launching its planned programme of activities, primarily to combat the illicit drug trafficking and abuse problem.
“Ghana’s active participation in the established programmes and activities as well as the implementation of the conventions of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), situated in Vienna, Austria, demonstrates the importance of strengthening effective collaboration”.
H. E Heissel made these statements during a courtesy call on him in Accra on Monday, 28 July 2025, by NACOC Director-General, Brig Gen Maxwell Obuba Mantey and his two deputies, Mr Alexander Twum-Barimah, in charge of Enforcement, Control, and Elimination, and Mr Stephen Yeboah, in charge of General Services.
He added that his doors are always open to NACOC management relating to sharing ideas and enhancing capacity-building opportunities through sister agencies in Austria, as well as avenues that would create opportunities to support and boost the Commission’s retooling.
“The Embassy will liaise with appropriate authorities in Vienna to consider giving attention to the NACOC canine department, where support will be rendered in terms of logistics and other accessories that would improve the working conditions of the dogs”, H.E. Heissel stated.
On his part, Brig Gen Maxwell Obuba Mantey, the Director-General of NACOC, congratulated the Austrian Ambassador to Ghana, H. E Jurgen Heissel, for his preparedness to assist with the Commission towards attaining its goals.
He went on to say that the Commission is committed to ensuring that the fight against illicit drug trafficking and misuse is kept to a bare minimum via the collaboration and support of all the key stakeholders.
Brig Gen Mantey asked the ambassador to put in place measures that would allow NACOC to collaborate with key stakeholders in Austria, sharing ideas and intelligence on illicit drug trafficking and misuse of drugs.
He expressed confidence that the Austrian government, through the newly established Embassy in Accra, would create enabling working avenues such as training or capacity-building, as well as exchange programmes that would allow officers to study best practices that can be adopted to improve the Commission’s operations.
