Michael Olugbode in Abuja
West Africa is confronting an increasingly sophisticated drug crisis, with cocaine seizures doubling, the proliferation of dangerous synthetic substances and pharmaceutical opioids, and growing social consequences prompting renewed calls for stronger regional cooperation, intelligence sharing and evidence-based interventions.
The warning came as experts, government officials and representatives of Member States gathered for the validation of the 2025 West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU) data and a regional training workshop, where they stressed that reliable data remains the foundation for effective policies to combat illicit drug trafficking, substance abuse and transnational organised crime.
Speaking at the meeting, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Principal Programme Officer for Drug Prevention and Control, Dr. Daniel Amankwa, described the annual WENDU exercise as a critical regional mechanism for monitoring drug trends and ensuring governments have credible evidence to guide interventions.
According to him, the validation process allows Member States to verify and harmonise data submitted to the ECOWAS Commission before the publication of the regional report.
“The WENDU report reflects what is happening with drug abuse, illicit drug trafficking and related crimes across West Africa. Every year, Member States collect and submit data, which are compiled into a regional report and validated to ensure accuracy before publication,” he said.
Although the 2025 report is still undergoing validation, Amankwa said findings from the completed 2024 report reveal disturbing trends that underscore the urgency of coordinated regional action.
He disclosed that cannabis remains the most widely consumed illicit drug across West Africa, but warned that the rapid emergence of synthetic drugs and counterfeit pharmaceutical products has significantly complicated the region’s drug landscape.
According to him, authorities are increasingly encountering high-dose tramadol and new psychoactive substances such as Kush, whose chemical compositions have been illegally altered to increase potency.
“We are not referring to legitimate pharmaceutical products,” he explained. “We are talking about tramadol that should ordinarily contain 50 milligrams but is now found in 200, 250, 300, 400 and even 500 milligram formulations that are being abused.”
Amankwa also revealed that cocaine trafficking through West Africa has risen sharply.
“The 2024 report showed that cocaine arrests and seizures doubled across the region. Preliminary indications suggest that this trend is continuing in 2025, although the data are not yet conclusive,” he said.
The development mirrors global assessments indicating that cocaine production has reached record levels, with West Africa continuing to serve as a major transit corridor for consignments destined for Europe.
Beyond trafficking statistics, Amankwa warned that drug abuse is exacting enormous economic, social and public health costs on West African societies, particularly among young people.
He explained that addiction fuels a vicious cycle of unemployment, poverty and crime, while weakening family structures and reducing national productivity.
“When people become addicted, it becomes difficult for them to work effectively. That contributes to unemployment, which in turn fuels poverty. Poverty itself can also push people into drug use. It becomes a cycle that reinforces itself,” he said.
He added that many people struggling with drug dependence resort to criminal activities to sustain their addiction, worsening insecurity across the region.
“The impact is enormous. It affects the economy because productivity declines. It affects health. It fuels crime. It also weakens families and social values.”
Amankwa argued that the evolving nature of drug trafficking requires more than arrests and seizures, noting that criminal organisations constantly introduce new substances and concealment methods whenever law enforcement disrupts existing routes.
“Each time authorities develop strategies against one drug or trafficking method, another substance or concealment technique emerges. Criminal networks continue to evolve.”
He advocated a comprehensive response built around strengthening families, expanding prevention through education, enhancing law enforcement and increasing access to treatment and rehabilitation for people living with drug use disorders.
According to him, prevention should begin early, warning that many young people are misled into believing substances such as tramadol improve intelligence or academic performance.
He also urged governments to expand confidential treatment services, including online counselling platforms, to reduce stigma and encourage more people to seek help.
“Many people with drug use disorders are highly intelligent and productive individuals. They need treatment and support, not rejection.”
On regional cooperation, Amankwa acknowledged significant progress in intelligence sharing, joint operations and capacity building among anti-drug agencies across ECOWAS, but stressed that greater trust among national institutions remains essential for effective intelligence exchange.
“Drug control relies heavily on intelligence. Countries must trust one another before they can confidently exchange sensitive information.”
The regional concerns were echoed throughout the workshop, where officials described the West Africa Drug Trend Report as an increasingly influential policy instrument for governments and development partners.
Participants said the annual report has strengthened understanding of evolving drug use patterns, trafficking routes and organised criminal networks, while providing policymakers with credible evidence for designing targeted interventions.
Officials commended Member States for their continued commitment to collecting and submitting quality data, noting that the regional reporting mechanism has become one of West Africa’s most important tools for evidence-based policymaking.
They explained that the workshop was convened not only to validate the latest findings but also to improve the technical capacity of national focal points responsible for collecting, analysing and reporting drug-related information.
Participants were introduced to a comprehensive digital platform developed as a secure, centralised system for the collection, management and analysis of drug-related data submitted by Member States.
The platform, officials said, has undergone extensive testing and refinement based on users’ feedback and is expected to improve data quality, harmonise reporting standards and strengthen regional collaboration.
Speaking on behalf of one of the participating Member States, a delegate said the 2025 report comes at a critical moment, as countries continue to grapple with the public health, security and socio-economic consequences of illicit drug use and trafficking.
The delegate noted that data generated through the WENDU reporting mechanism has already influenced major policy decisions across the region.
He cited his country’s declaration of substance abuse as a public health emergency by the President as an example of how evidence generated through the regional reporting process has informed national action, adding that several Member States have similarly established national task forces and institutional mechanisms to address the growing drug menace.
The delegate said governments have since introduced initiatives aimed at reducing both the demand for and supply of illicit substances but acknowledged that the challenge continues to evolve.
Describing the workshop as timely, he expressed optimism that the training would strengthen participants’ capacity to collect, analyse and interpret drug data, leading to stronger reports and more effective policy recommendations.
He urged participants to apply the knowledge gained during the workshop to improve the quality of national data and support evidence-based policymaking capable of strengthening West Africa’s collective response to illicit drugs and transnational organised crime.
Highlights of the meeting was the renewed calls for sustained investment in drug surveillance systems, stronger intelligence sharing, expanded treatment services and preventive programmes that begin within families and communities, as ECOWAS and Member States seek to reverse what experts described as one of the region’s fastest-evolving security and public health challenges.
