West Africa is facing 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 enables 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.
He warned that drug abuse continues to exact enormous economic, social and public health costs across the region, particularly among young people, by fuelling unemployment, poverty, crime and weakening family structures.
“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 West Africa.
“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 advocated a comprehensive response centred on strengthening families, expanding prevention through education, enhancing law enforcement and increasing access to treatment and rehabilitation for people living with drug use disorders.
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,” he said.
Participants at the workshop said the annual West Africa Drug Trend Report has become an important policy tool for governments and development partners by improving understanding of evolving drug use patterns, trafficking routes and organised criminal networks.
They also received training on a new digital platform designed to improve the collection, management and analysis of drug-related data across member states, with officials expressing optimism that it would strengthen reporting standards and regional collaboration.
The meeting ended with renewed calls for sustained investment in drug surveillance systems, stronger intelligence sharing, expanded treatment services and early prevention programmes as ECOWAS and member states seek to curb what experts described as one of West Africa’s fastest-growing security and public health challenges.
Michael Olugbode
Follow us on:
