IJM Ghana has donated a modern heavy-duty surveillance drone to the Marine Unit of the Ghana Police Service as part of efforts to strengthen the fight against child trafficking and related crimes in Ghana’s “brown water” regions.

The presentation was made during a summit focused on expanding operations across the Volta Lake and surrounding communities.

The initiative aims to improve monitoring and enforcement capabilities in hard-to-reach areas where trafficking networks often operate.

The summit brought together key stakeholders to discuss strategies for scaling up “brown water” operations—referring to inland waterways such as lakes and rivers, particularly in trafficking-prone zones. Participants examined practical interventions to address longstanding operational challenges that have hindered effective policing in these areas.

Currently, a small but dedicated Marine Unit based in Kete Krachi leads anti-trafficking efforts across the Krachi East, Krachi West, and Sene East districts. The unit has been at the forefront of rescuing trafficked children and disrupting criminal activity along the lake, despite facing logistical and resource constraints.

According to officials, the newly donated drone is expected to significantly enhance surveillance, improve response times, and support intelligence gathering in remote communities accessible mainly by water.

The IJM-sponsored summit also served as a platform to map out expansion plans for the Marine Unit.

New operational bases are expected to be established in Ada, Akatin, and Kpando to widen coverage and improve coordination across districts.

Stakeholders emphasised that strengthening these operations is critical to dismantling trafficking networks and protecting vulnerable children living along the lake’s vast shoreline.

The initiative marks a significant step forward in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking, leveraging technology, inter-agency collaboration, and targeted expansion to address one of the country’s most persistent challenges.