The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has unveiled a new digital platform aimed at enhancing drug control efforts across the region through improved data collection and coordination.
The initiative, announced at the Validation Workshop of the 2024 West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU) Report held in Abuja, marks a significant step in modernizing the region’s response to drug abuse and trafficking.
Speaking at the event, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Professor Fatou Sow Sarr—represented by Dr. Daniel Amankwaah, Head of Drug Prevention and Control—highlighted the Commission’s commitment to strengthening the WENDU project. He emphasized that the new digital system will serve as a centralized, secure, and user-friendly platform for data entry by national focal points, helping to coordinate regional efforts more effectively.
“This platform underscores ECOWAS’s dedication to improving public health and security across West Africa,” Dr. Amankwaah said. “A credible WENDU report is vital for evidence-based drug prevention and control activities at both national and regional levels.”
Over the course of the three-day workshop, participants will validate the 2024 WENDU data and receive training on updated data collection tools. The workshop also aims to build capacity among member states’ focal points in the areas of data analysis and dissemination.
Director of Narcotics and Drug Abuse at Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Henrietta Bakura-Onyeneke, stressed the urgency of regional collaboration. “We are at a critical juncture that demands renewed resolve,” she said. “This workshop is not just about data—it’s about creating sustainable, informed responses to the growing challenge of substance use and drug trafficking.”
She added that the validated WENDU report will guide policy decisions and shape stronger national surveillance mechanisms essential to combating the drug crisis in the ECOWAS subregion.
The ECOWAS Commission reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with member states and stakeholders to build a more resilient and effective framework for addressing substance abuse and its impact on health, security, and development across West Africa.
