3FM continued examining last week’s record cocaine bust, adding historical context and calls for accountability, while Citi FM spoke directly with the lead executive behind Ghana’s newest major infrastructure project. Here are the key highlights.
Security & Governance
- 3FM (Sunrise): A Legon Center for International Affairs and Diplomacy associate professor and a co-host traced Ghana’s cocaine-trafficking history to 1996, highlighting major seizures over the years, including the 2006 MV Benjamin case. Their point was that Ghana has long been part of a key West African trafficking route, rather than facing a new problem. The panel also noted that airport body-and-baggage scanners had reportedly been out of service for three years before recently being restored through a Dutch partnership. They further debated whether border officials should be transferred or dismissed over suspected complicity or complacency.Why it matters: The guest argued that repeated, well-resourced drug seizures will only stop being treated as “isolated incidents” when Ghana demonstrates sustained institutional coordination and follow-through, including targeting the financial networks behind the trade – not only the couriers.
Infrastructure
- Citi FM (Citi Breakfast Show): After yesterday’s handover ceremony, the CEO of the newly formed Accra-Kumasi Expressway Company outlined the project on air. The plan covers about 198.7 km of new road, shorter than the current 240 km route, with interchanges bypassing major towns, electronic-only tolling at two main stations, and six exit points. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and end by December 2028. It will be financed without borrowing through a dedicated Bank of Ghana account, with repayment projected over 50 years. Hosts questioned him on contractor standards, rest-stop planning, and repeatedly raised concerns about the absence of a proper towing system for breakdowns on a high-speed corridor.Why it matters: A 175 km bypass that reduces Accra-Kumasi travel time to about two hours would significantly improve mobility and economic activity on Ghana’s busiest route. However, the towing-system concern reflects a recurring issue in this digest: new infrastructure often advances faster than the breakdown-recovery systems needed to keep it operating smoothly.
Sources: 3FM Sunrise and Citi FM Citi Breakfast. This independent digest is not affiliated with either station. Full discussions are available through each station’s official broadcast and social channels.
What’s your take? Should trucks from neighboring countries be restricted from Ghana’s new expressways, or would standardized axle-load rules be the better solution? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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