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By Zika Bobby
A group, West Africa Drug Policy Network, has called on African governments to stop punishing drug users but instead reform them through a series of rehabilitation measures.
The organisation said drug use should be treated primarily as a public health issue and not a criminal one, adding that putting persons in this category through a system of reforms would deliver better results at the end.
In a statement at the weekend, Campaigns and Communications Officer of WADPN, Michael Kumordzi Tetteh called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and national authorities across the continent to completely decriminalise and protect the rights of people under this category.
The statement reads: “Across West Africa, the criminalisation of people who use drugs, sex workers, and people with diverse sexual orientations (PWDSO) continues to deepen cycles of poverty, stigma, disease, and violence.
“The West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) and its partners call on ECOWAS and national governments, particularly in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, to take decisive steps toward decriminalisation and protection of human rights.
“In Ghana and Nigeria, punitive drug laws have contributed to prison overcrowding, HIV prevalence, and the isolation of people from healthcare systems.
“According to the West Africa Commission on Drugs chaired by the late Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, drug use should be treated primarily as a public health issue, not a criminal one.
“Decriminalisation does not encourage drug use; it redirects funding from punishment to harm reduction, rehabilitation, and community care.
“Countries like Portugal and Uruguay have demonstrated that such policies result in improved health outcomes and reduce crime rates.
“Senegal stands alone in West Africa with a legal and regulated sex work framework. Despite its limitations, this model has helped reduce HIV transmission, enabled access to health services, and improved tracking of violence and abuse.
“By contrast, in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, sex workers face arbitrary arrests, harassment, and limited legal recourse, often exacerbated by moralistic laws and a lack of public health infrastructure.
“WADPN and its partners call for national agencies to decriminalise sex work, adopt rights-based regulatory approaches, and recognise sex workers as legitimate members of society with the right to safety, health, and dignity.”
In Nigeria and other West Africa countries, people with diverse sexual orientations often face state-sanctioned discrimination.
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The country’s same-sex marriage (Prohibition) Act has led to increased violence, extortion by police, and a climate of fear.
Similarly, Ghana’s recent anti-LGBTQ+ bill and Burkina Faso’s silence on legal protections reflect the dangerous trend of targeting people for who they are, the group said.
“These legal environments are in direct violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees dignity, equality, and freedom from discrimination for all people.
“The ACHPR Resolution 275 affirms the need for protection of individuals from violence based on their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
“ECOWAS must go beyond its current commitments to drug control and regional security. It must
Adopt a regional human rights and health strategy for key populations,
support member states in drug law reform and harm reduction scale-up,
create mechanisms to monitor abuses against sex workers and PWDSO,
hold governments accountable to international human rights treaties
“Decriminalisation is not just a legal question; it is a question of life or death.
“We urge ECOWAS and national governments to: Amend repressive laws,
expand community-led health services, fund rights-based education and policing reforms, include affected communities in decision-making
“As advocacy campaigns draw global attention to the struggles and resilience of marginalised groups, West Africa must not be left behind. Justice, health, and dignity for all cannot wait,” the statement added.
