By Eric Appah Marfo/ Stephandy Kyeraah
Accra, Aug. 14, GNA – The Ghana Civil Society Coalition Against Transnational Organised Crime has been launched to coordinate civil society efforts to combat organised crime and protect vulnerable people.
The coalition brings together civil society organisations working in human trafficking, cybercrime, illegal mining, corruption, human rights, environmental protection and community development.
Ms Princess Yanney, a Committee Member, who read a speech on behalf of the Convenor, said on Wednesday that the coalition sought to move civil society organisations from fragmented responses to a coordinated national approach to transnational organised crime.
She said the coalition would establish nine working groups, each headed by a convener and linked to a corresponding state institution, to ensure sustained engagement and action.
Ms Yanney said member organisations would be required to adhere to safeguarding, code of conduct and conflict-of-interest policies.
She urged state institutions to properly screen suspects before charging them with offences, particularly where there were indications of trafficking, coercion or exploitation.
Ms Yanney said transnational organised crime should not be treated as isolated offences because different criminal activities often supported and financed one another.
She explained that illegally mined gold could finance weapons, which could protect criminal routes used for human trafficking, while proceeds from cyber fraud could subsequently be laundered through financial channels.
Professor Caesar Apentiik, Chairman of the launch, said organised crime in Ghana was no longer an abstract threat but was “here with us, entrenched and evolving” at a pace that should concern the country.
He cited illegal mining, global fraud, human trafficking, land-guard activities and drug trafficking as manifestations of the growing convergence of criminal enterprises.
“Organised crime does not operate in silos. Neither must our response,” he said.
Prof. Apentiik said the 2025 Global Organised Crime Index scored Ghana 5.77 out of 10 for criminality, ranking the country 21st among 54 African countries and sixth among 15 West African countries.
He said Ghana recorded particularly high scores in non-renewable resources crime, human trafficking, cocaine-related crime, cyber-dependent crime and synthetic drugs trafficking.
Prof. Apentiik said the greater concern, however, extended beyond the statistics to the erosion of public trust, normalisation of impunity and emergence of parallel systems of power.
He said organised crime thrived in gaps between institutions and therefore required civil society to complement the work of the state by providing community intelligence, mobilising citizens and holding institutions accountable.
Prof. Apentiik called for stronger intelligence-sharing mechanisms, increased community capacity to identify early warning signs, responsible media coverage and legislative reforms capable of anticipating emerging forms of organised crime.
He urged law enforcement and judicial institutions to strengthen accountability while ensuring that measures against organised crime did not suppress legitimate civic activity.
Prof. Apentiik also urged development partners to support the coalition while ensuring that the initiative remained Ghanaian-led.
He said the coalition must move beyond conferences and statements to sustained action, warning that organised criminal networks would test its resolve and seek to exploit weaknesses.
The National Peace Council, Ghana Immigration Service and Ghana Red Cross Society, in solidarity messages, highlighted the need to distinguish between perpetrators and people trafficked or coerced into criminal activities.
The National Peace Council called for intensified cross-border intelligence-sharing and joint law-enforcement operations, removal of fake recruitment and scam platforms targeting young people, and stronger national safety nets for vulnerable youth.
The Ghana Immigration Service urged authorities to “look beyond the screen, beyond the scam” to identify people being exploited by criminal networks.
The Ghana Red Cross Society pledged to contribute through community awareness, youth engagement, protection, referrals and efforts to strengthen community resilience.
The coalition’s launch coincided with International Youth Day, with speakers highlighting the vulnerability of young people to trafficking, cyber-enabled fraud, exploitation and other forms of organised crime, while calling for their active participation in countering the threat.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo