ECOWAS Moves to Combat Drug Abuse in West Africa, Develops Comprehensive Digital Platform to Generate Data

ECOWAS Moves to Combat Drug Abuse in West Africa, Develops Comprehensive Digital Platform to Generate Data

By: Michael Mike

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has moved to combat drug abuse in the West Africa subregion with the development of a comprehensive digital platform to serve as a centralized system for data input by national focal points, as well as enhance the West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU) project.

The Commissioner, Human Development and Social Affairs, ECOWAS Commission, Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, disclosed the commencement of the process at the Validation Workshop of the 2024 Report of the West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU), in Abuja.

Declaring the workshop open, the Commissioner, Human Development and Social Affairs, represented by the Head of Drug Prevention and Control at ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Daniel Amankwaah, said the ECOWAS Commission takes priority in improving and sustaining the WENDU.

He said: “The development of this platform underscores ECOWAS’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in combating drug abuse and its associated consequences, contributing to improved public health and security across West Africa.”

He noted that: “The platform is envisioned to be a robust, secure, and user-friendly system that caters for the diverse needs of its users, facilitating a more coordinated and effective regional response to drug-related issues.”

He added that: “We begin the validation of the 2024 drug data which will be published soon in a yet to be determined Member State. The data has been compiled by the resource persons and we look forward to your review of the data to make sure they represent what was transmitted. A credible WENDU report is crucial to improving evidence-based drug prevention and control activities both at the national and regional levels.

“In this regard, the ECOWAS Commission puts a high importance on the collection, collation and validation of the WENDU data before it is published. This 3 days’ workshop will also be used to improve the capacity of the WENDU focal points in the collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of drug-related data through the training on new data collection tools.

“I assure you that ECOWAS Commission is very committed and will continue to do its best with all Member States and Partners to effectively fulfil its role in making sure that the drug menace is effectively controlled. All of us working together we shall succeed. On this note, I wish you a very successful training and validation of the 2024 WENDU data.”

On her part, the Director, Narcotics and Drug Abuse at Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Henrietta Bakura-Onyeneke said. “We gather at a critical juncture—one that demands renewed resolve and collective action in confronting the evolving landscape of drug use and trafficking across our region. The impact of substance use disorders—intertwined with poverty, crime, public health burdens, and social exclusion—continues to pose significant challenges to development and stability in West Africa.”

She added that: “This workshop underscores the core of what WENDU stands for: strengthening our regional capacity to generate accurate, timely, and actionable data—data that not only reflects the magnitude and patterns of drug use, but also enables us to design informed, effective, and sustainable responses. Our ability to build strong, coordinated national mechanisms for surveillance and reporting is key to shaping the future of drug prevention and control in ECOWAS Member States.

“Over the next three days, we will engage in the validation of the 2024 WENDU regional report, ensuring that the data transmitted by our dedicated National Focal Points truly captures the realities on the ground—drug seizures, arrests, treatment admissions, and emerging trends. We will also invest in capacity building, equipping our focal points with new tools and methodologies to improve data collection, analysis, and dissemination.”

She said: “This is not just a technical exercise; it is a call to action—a regional imperative to protect the health, security, and well-being of our communities. Let us seize this opportunity to collaborate, learn, and strengthen our collective resolve in addressing substance use and illicit drug trafficking across ECOWAS.”

ECOWAS Moves to Combat Drug Abuse in West Africa, Develops Comprehensive Digital Platform to Generate Data