Ghana risks losing the $500 million Millennium Challenge Compact funds due to the increasing rate of human trafficking in the country.
The US has raised concerns about the slow pace in fighting human trafficking in Ghana, threatening it could affect aid.
Speaking at a workshop on trafficking, US ambassador to Ghana Robert Jackson, said Ghana risks losing the MCC fund, if the government fails to improve efforts in the fight against human trafficking.
Mr. Jackson described the Volta region as “the nexus of trafficking”.
“If we go to the Volta region, I can buy five children for what it costs to buy an outboard motor for a boat, and no country is immune,” Jackson mentioned.
He expressed worry on the lack of prosecution for trafficking offences.
“For too long, Ghana’s courts have not convicted people for this crime. There are plenty of victims so there must be criminals as well. What this means is that, Ghana does not meet the minimum standards for combating trafficking in persons,” he lamented.
The US Department of State, in its 2016 report, noted Ghana as a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.
