VZCZCXRO0519
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #1160/01 1390948
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190948Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1354
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0135
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 0025
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0194
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0053
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 1578
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001160 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC EAID GH PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR
SUBJECT: LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE TO GHANA:  IMPROVING 
DONOR COORDINATION 
 
REF: ACCRA 939 
 
¶1.  (SBU)   Summary:  The UK High Commission recently chaired 
a donors, meeting on law enforcement assistance to Ghana. 
The U.S. and the U.K. are the only significant donors on law 
enforcement issues.  The U.K. is focusing on narcotics 
trafficking, financial fraud, document fraud, basic police 
training, and trafficking in persons.  The meeting 
highlighted the need for closer donor coordination and 
continued attention to assistance in this important sector. 
End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U)  The UK High Commission recently hosted a donors, 
meeting on law enforcement in Ghana.  DEA and Lgat officials 
from Congen Lagos joined Emboffs ad representatives from he 
Dutch, Spanish, and Caadian Embassies. 
 
------------- 
UK Priorities 
------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  According to High Commission officials, West 
Africa (especially Nigeria and Ghana) is one of the UK,s top 
ten regions of concern worldwide for organized crime. 
Britain,s priority law enforcement concerns in Ghana are: 
 
Cocaine trafficking:  UK authorities apprehend around 40 
cocaine traffickers coming from Ghana each month, an increase 
over previous years.  The trade is controlled by Colombian 
and European criminal organizations.  This problem will not 
go away anytime soon, the officials said.  The British 
government provided about $100,000 of assistance in 2005 to 
Ghana,s Narcotics Control Board (NCB), helping fund a new 
headquarters and training suite.  UK Customs Officers plan to 
provide the NCB with 6-week training sessions in 
counter-narcotics over a two-year period. 
 
Financial Fraud:  The UK has provided the GOG with technical 
assistance to draft an anti-moneylaundering bill and 
establish a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).  A UK expert 
in this field has already traveled twice to Ghana to advise 
on AML issues. 
 
Document Fraud:  The UK is working with the EU and the Dutch 
government to provide training in document fraud detection. 
A major EU project will begin in September-October. 
 
Police Training:  The UK has committed roughly $380,000 to 
training the Ghana Police Service, although they have not yet 
determined how to spend it. 
 
Trafficking in Persons:  The UK recognizes this as an area 
for concern in Ghana but has not committed resources to it. 
 
Illegal Fishing:  the UK has been assisting the Ministry of 
Fisheries to track illegal fishing.  Funds have been used to 
contract a UK-based company to put transponders on fishing 
vessels and track licenses.  GOG officials recently visited 
the UK to purchase patrol vessels and perhaps patrolling 
aircraft. 
 
---------------------- 
Other Donor Assistance 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The Spanish have offered $82 million in soft loans 
to the GOG, $12 million of which is earmarked for the 
Ministry of Interior.  The Ministry has not yet responded how 
they might want to access these funds.  Spain has organized a 
seminar for Ghanaians in June 2006 in Madrid focused on 
document fraud.  UNODC has identified Ghana as a priority 
country for its assistance to container security.  France has 
a gendarme working here with the police.  The Dutch 
government has provided assistance in document fraud. 
 
---------------------------- 
Improving Donor Coordination 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U)  Participants agreed on the need to improve 
 
ACCRA 00001160  002 OF 002 
 
 
coordination on law enforcement and to encourage the 
government to think more strategically about security-sector 
priorities and needs.   This should include discussions on 
how to improve counter-narcotics and asset forfeiture laws. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6.  (U)  The USG has been assisting Ghanaian law enforcement 
for years.  In the past 18 months, US Customs has provided 
training on document fraud; we provided INL-funded 
counter-narcotics training; INL funded two highly successful 
ICITAP police training courses, which have already been 
replicated by the Ghana Police; we assisted in establishing a 
PISCES system for border control; we donated computer 
equipment to the police Monitoring and Inspections Unit; and 
we donated patrol bicycles to the police in Kumasi. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The need is great for more assistance, at a time 
when our mil-mil and foreign aid relationship is growing 
significantly.  Narcotics trafficking and financial crime are 
a very serious, growing concern with direct implications for 
the United States (see reftel on financial crimes). 
Document fraud is significant in Ghana, one of the largest 
immigrant visa issuing post in Africa.  Ghana's Director of 
Immigration told DCM that the GOG wants assistance with 
expanding its border security force by 4,000 people.  The GOG 
has never been more cooperative in our law enforcement 
relationship.   We will work with the UK to engage the GOG on 
its strategic vision for this sector, to better coordinate 
donor efforts, and to look for more ways to continue to 
support this important sector. 
BRIDGEWATER