Ghana and Nigeria Boost Joint Fight Against Human Trafficking
New Joint Task Force and awareness campaigns aim to curb cross-border trafficking and safeguard victims.
- Ghana and Nigeria pledge closer collaboration to fight human trafficking and related crimes
- A Joint Task Force and real-time intelligence sharing will enhance cross-border enforcement
- Both countries plan awareness campaigns and high-level regional meetings to protect victims
The Ghana Police Service and Nigeria Police Force have pledged to strengthen their collaboration in tackling human trafficking and related transnational crimes across West Africa.
The commitment followed a high-level bilateral meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday, 7th November 2025, co-chaired by COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of Ghana’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and Dr. Sadiq Idris Abubakar, Deputy Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force. The meeting brought together senior officials from law enforcement, immigration, intelligence, and diplomatic agencies of both countries.
Discussions centred on emerging forms of human trafficking, their increasing connection to cybercrime, and the urgent need for enhanced regional cooperation to protect victims. DIG Abubakar praised COP Donkor for initiating the dialogue during the INTERPOL Africa Regional Conference earlier this year, while COP Donkor expressed gratitude for Nigeria’s collaboration and reiterated Ghana’s commitment to intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement operations.
Both delegations agreed to:
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Establish a Joint Task Force (JTF) to handle cross-border trafficking cases.
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Appoint focal officers for real-time information exchange.
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Develop standard protocols for victim repatriation and referral.
Additionally, they resolved to launch joint awareness campaigns targeting youth and border communities and to convene a high-level meeting of West African Police Chiefs to harmonise regional anti-trafficking strategies.
The meeting concluded with the signing of a communiqué reaffirming Ghana and Nigeria’s shared commitment to dismantle trafficking networks, protect victims, and sustain bilateral cooperation under the frameworks of ECOWAS and INTERPOL.
