President John Dramani Mahama has described the Global Mercy hospital ship as a “floating vessel of true mercy and humanism” after touring the world’s largest civilian hospital ship docked at the Tema Port.

In a post after his visit, President Mahama said he was deeply moved by his interactions with fellow Ghanaians undergoing life-changing treatments on board the ship, including children with orthopaedic conditions, many of whom had waited years to receive care.

The President welcomed the Mercy Ships team back to Ghana for their fifth mission since 1991.

“In a world where countries and individuals are increasingly focused on self-interest, Mercy Ships remains a floating vessel of true mercy and humanism,” Mahama stated.

He noted that the impact of Mercy Ships in Ghana is remarkable, adding that during its 10-month stay, the mission will continue to provide direct patient care while training local health workers alongside its international medical team.

Sharing a lighter moment from the tour, the President said as someone who had never sailed on a ship before, he expected to be walking like a sailor.

“I was pleasantly surprised by how steady and stable the ship is. It felt just like any modern hospital on land,” he said.

President Mahama expressed his gratitude to the dedicated medical crew, volunteers, donors, local partners, and friends of Mercy Ships, assuring them that this will not be their last mission to Ghana.

“My sincere gratitude to the dedicated medical crew, volunteers, donors, local partners, and friends of Mercy Ships. As I told them today, this is not the first time they have been here, and it will certainly not be the last.”

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare for all Ghanaians, despite appreciating humanitarian support.

According to him, “While we appreciate humanitarian support, my administration remains firmly committed to expanding access to quality healthcare for all Ghanaians. We are expanding free primary health care, strengthening the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), investing in hospitals and health workers, and using the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to ease the burden of serious non-communicable diseases on families.”

“To the crew of the Global Mercy, Ghana says thank you,” Mahama added.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) of selective justice, saying the state appears more interested in intimidating opposition MPs than cracking down on major narcotics networks.

In a statement titled “EOCO Must Pursue The Kingpins, Not Persecute Political Opponents,” the Minority Leader condemned the handling of the case involving Manhyia South MP, Hon. Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.

According to him, on September 23, after arguing a bail application for a detained nurse, the MP was confronted by an EOCO official seeking to arrest him, with no warrant or identification produced. He said a warrant was only obtained a week later, with the court directing that it be executed through the Speaker of Parliament.

Afenyo-Markin said Baffour Awuah had referred EOCO’s February invitations to the Clerk of Parliament, but EOCO refused to recognise correspondence from the Clerk, adding that nothing publicly available shows EOCO approached the Speaker before seeking the warrant.

“On what basis, then, did it reportedly claim to have exhausted reasonable means of securing his attendance? It is regrettable that a false impression is being created that the MP deliberately avoided EOCO,” he stated.

He noted that on October 1, the MP voluntarily reported to EOCO with his lawyer and fellow MPs but was kept waiting for hours before questioning began, raising what he described as serious concerns about fairness and the exercise of investigative power.

“This NDC culture of using the coercive powers of the state to punish suspects should have been left behind with the other excesses of the PNDC era,” he said.

The Minority Leader said the Minority does not seek to prejudge the SIC Life Savings & Loans investigation, stressing that no one is above the law, including EOCO, but maintained that the MP’s treatment forms part of a broader attempt to intimidate critical opposition voices.

Drawing attention to Ghana’s growing drug trafficking problem, Afenyo-Markin cited a JoyNews Research tally which indicates that Ghana has recorded 11 cocaine cases in 28 drug busts since March 2025, with an estimated street value of $1.7 billion.

He listed major seizures linked to Ghana including nearly 4,500 kilograms of cocaine worth nearly $500 million seized at the port of Amsterdam concealed in timber supplied by a Ghanaian company; nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine that reached Dunkirk in a container shipped from Ghana; about 320 kilograms of methamphetamine worth A$296 million that reached Australia in a consignment containing Ghanaian charcoal; and 3.3 tonnes of cocaine intercepted beneath sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction.

“Ghanaians want to know: who are the financiers, organisers and beneficiaries? Where is the comparable zeal of our security agencies in pursuing them?” he queried.

He said EOCO has statutory powers to investigate organised economic crime, trace criminal proceeds, and seek lawful asset freezes and confiscation, and Ghanaians deserve a public account of how those powers are being deployed against narcotics networks.

Afenyo-Markin also pointed to the surge in illegal mining, accusing government of being more interested in foreign exchange from galamsey than the damage to the environment, and questioned what became of the July 2025 directive to investigate two NDC officials over illegal-mining allegations.

“What we are witnessing is the golden age of impunity, epitomised by the surge in both galamsey and drug trafficking. Ghanaians are calling for a credible war on the drug trade,” he said.

He called on EOCO and NACOC to collaborate, follow the money, trace assets and pursue the kingpins.

The Minority demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Hon. Baffour Awuah, an end to the misuse of arrest and prosecution to intimidate political opponents, and vigorous investigations into narcotics and galamsey networks with public accountability.

“To EOCO’s leadership: recognise that power is transient. Public authority carries responsibility, and accountability follows its exercise.

“To the NDC: you will not harass us into silence. The Minority will continue holding this government to account. We will not bend the knee. The culture of silence is not coming back,” the statement concluded.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme