The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) is set to establish its first training school at Akwamu in the Eastern Region of Ghana, following a 100-acre land donation by the Akwamuhene and his elders to the Commission.
This development follows a formal engagement between a delegation from the Commission and the Akwamu Traditional Council, during which the Commission made known its intention to establish the training school and sought the Council’s support for the initiative.
The gesture, endorsed by the Council, was hailed as a progressive partnership between the state and traditional authorities.
During a courtesy call by NACOC to the Akwamu Traditional Council, Mr Twum Barima, the Deputy Director-General in charge of Enforcement, Control and Elimination, said the visit was to introduce Brigadier-General Maxwell Mantey, the Director-General of NACOC and his team to the Council.
The visit was also to show appreciation to the Council for its support in the establishment of the training school.
MrTwum Barima said currently NACOC relied on the Ghana Army and Ghana Navy for the training of its staff as it did not have a training school.
The Commission’s personnel are presently undergoing training at the Naval Training School in Tema, while newly recruited officers are receiving training at a designated suburb within the Volta Region.
“So, it has become necessary that we get our own training school just as the Police, Immigration and other services have their own training schools,” he added.
Mr Barima said such developments had the potential to significantly transform local communities, highlighting the establishment of the Police Training School at Patase, Kumasi, in the early 1980s.
“We believe that in the near future, NACOC’s training school is also going to become the heart of this town,” he said.
He said after their assumption into office a few weeks ago, NACOC had recorded a series of arrests as intelligence indicated widespread trafficking of illicit substances.
Due to the robust intelligence unit at NACOC, many suspects were already on the radar and would be apprehended, MrTwum Barima said.
He said all suspects were promptly processed for court, within a maximum of three days, and that all those arrested in Takoradi, Accra, and Atimpoku had been brought before the courts.
Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, King of Akwamu State (Akwamuhene), congratulated the Director-General and his deputies on their appointments.
He said the increasing use of hard drugs was a serious concern, especially among the youth, posing a significant threat to the future of the society.
“The role you play in curbing this trend and promoting healthy lifestyles is therefore critical to the nation’s development and stability,” he added.
The Akwamuhene said in recognition of the significance of the project, he had engaged with the divisional chiefs to explore the possibility of allocating additional land to ensure the training school proceeded without hindrance.
He said the Council had engaged the Lands Commission and other relevant agencies and institutions to inform them about the upcoming project.
GNA
