The Minister of the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, on Friday, 29 November 2025, received two state-of-the-art ultramodern airport passenger intrusive scanners from the Government of the Netherlands at the Marriott Hotel in Accra.

The gesture by the Government of the Netherlands, according to Hon. Foort van Oosteen, Netherlands Minister for Justice and Security, was to cement the long-lasting relationship between the two countries and strengthen cooperation in the fight against transnational organised crime.

The funding support from the Dutch Government is to enable the Commission to procure new scanning equipment which included a full-body security scanner and a luggage scanner.
The intrusive scanners presented to NACOC through the Interior Minister, when fully installed, will help to enhance its capabilities to detect and prevent narcotics trafficking through the Kotoka International Airport.

Hon van Oosten, in presenting the official agreement documents to the Interior Minister, expressed concern about the devastating effect of drug trafficking on Europe from Africa, of which Ghana is a part, hence the need to resource the Narcotics Control Commission to curb the menace.

He added that the Netherlands recognizes the challenges bedeviled by NACOC due to the breakdown of some of its equipment at the Kotoka International Airport, and that the donation was crucial as it will help augment and strengthen the Commission’s operations.

“It is against this backdrop that the Netherlands Government is committed to investing in modern advanced technologies that would equip the operations of NACOC to enable tracking down persons suspected to be dealing in illicit drug trafficking”. Hon Oosten stressed.
On his part, the Minister for the Interior, Hon Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, who received the documents on behalf of the Government of Ghana, thanked the Dutch Government, noting that the scanners will help to strengthen the operations of NACOC in the fight against illicit drug trafficking through the airport.

He added that the partnership between Ghana and the Netherlands, mainly to fight against illicit drug trafficking, underscores the shared threat posed by drug trafficking and demonstrates the Netherlands and Ghana’s dedication to justice and security.

Hon Muntaka further assured that the scanners will be put to good use, aimed at curbing the smuggling of illicit drugs outside the country through the airport.
The presentation followed the closing ceremony of the two-day High-Level Dialogue on Drug Markets in West Africa, which was attended by Ministers of States from the ECOWAS, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and other officials, symbolizing the deepening partnership between the two countries.