Abuja Conference Puts Substance Use Delivery to the Test

West Africa’s substance use response is being measured this week not in declarations but in delivered facilities and trained staff, as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) convene the 16th Biennial International Conference on Drugs, Alcohol and Society in Africa in Abuja, Nigeria. The two-day gathering, running from the 21st to 22nd of October 2026, is themed “Substance Use Research and Data Systems in Africa: Advances, Relevance and Challenges.” Its working agenda is built around a practical question: whether the region’s treatment infrastructure and data systems are actually keeping pace with emerging drug trends.

The operational record presented at the conference is substantial. Dr. Daniel Amankwaah, Head of the ECOWAS Drug Prevention and Control Division, delivering a statement on behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Nassirou Bako-Arifari, disclosed that as of September 2026, 12 drug treatment and rehabilitation centres across 10 Member States had received renovation and equipment upgrades. More than 300 health and allied professionals have been trained in evidence-based prevention and treatment, building the human capacity that service delivery depends on. He pointed to growing public health and security challenges linked to substance use and illicit drug trafficking as the pressure these investments are meant to answer.

Implementation extends beyond clinics. ECOWAS has been advancing Alternatives to Incarceration, a programme approach that routes eligible people who use drugs and come into contact with the criminal justice system toward treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration rather than prison. On the data side, the Commission reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional information through the West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU), the system intended to give policymakers a reliable picture of drug use across Member States.

Meanwhile, the conference itself functions as a delivery mechanism for that data pipeline. Its programme features country-level drug situation reports, panel discussions and research presentations, including a study on alternatives to incarceration for people who use drugs in Nigeria. The stated aim is to move participants from analysis to practical recommendations for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, drawing together researchers, policymakers, public health professionals and development partners.

CRISA’s role as implementing partner was framed in terms of a long track record. Representing the Centre, Prof. Gboyega Abikoye expressed satisfaction with its achievements after more than 30 years, citing its work in substance use research, information sharing on alcohol use and abuse, and the organisation of workshops and conferences designed to advance knowledge and inform responses to drug-related challenges.

Oversight voices at the conference pressed on the gap between evidence and execution. In remarks delivered on behalf of the UNODC Country Representative in Nigeria, Cheikh Touré, by Dr. Akanidomo Ibanga, Project Management Support Specialist at UNODC, participants were urged to bridge the divide between research and policymaking. The message was directed at the point where findings become budgets and services: evidence must inform government decisions, resource allocation, prevention programmes and access to quality treatment and care.

The Abuja conference underscores a regional delivery model in which ECOWAS, working through its partnership with CRISA and other stakeholders, continues to promote cooperation and evidence-informed policies for responses to substance use that are intended to be both more effective and more humane. Whether the renovated centres, the trained workforce and the WENDU data network translate into consistent services on the ground remains the test that gatherings of this kind are ultimately meant to measure.