Experts call for urgent action as drug abuse surges in Africa
Toyin Falola, a professor of history, has expressed deep concern over the growing consumption and trafficking of illicit drugs across the African continent, describing the trend as a serious public health emergency requiring urgent and coordinated action.
Speaking at the latest edition of the Toyin Falola Interview Series themed “The Use of Drugs in Africa”, Falola said drug abuse has evolved from an isolated social problem into a widespread crisis affecting multiple regions. He noted that conversations around the issue must move beyond rhetoric to practical solutions.
The discussion featured psychiatrist Moruf Adelekan; Ibiba Odili, a retired assistant comptroller-general of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency; Martin Agwogie, founder of the Global Initiative on Substance Abuse; and Abdulmalik Yahaya, general secretary of the Young African Leaders Initiative in Abuja.
Falola pointed to ongoing debates over drug legalisation, referencing countries such as the United States and Canada where regulated use has been adopted in certain jurisdictions. In contrast, he said several African nations — including Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Niger, Ghana and Nigeria — are battling heroin and tramadol abuse.
He linked the surge in drug use to unemployment and mounting urban pressures, citing Lagos and parts of Guinea-Bissau where cocaine consumption is reportedly common. He warned that West Africa has become a major transit point for cocaine shipments from Latin America, raising fears about corruption and the risk of “narco-state” dynamics.
According to him, trafficking patterns vary across the continent, with West Africa heavily associated with tramadol flows, East Africa linked to criminal networks and heroin routes via the Indian Ocean, and Southern Africa identified as a significant methamphetamine market. He added that North Africa, particularly Morocco, is increasingly viewed as a global drug circulation hub.
In his submission, Yahaya observed that Africa’s role in the global narcotics trade is shifting from merely serving as a transit corridor to becoming a growing consumer market. He identified cannabis as the most widely used substance, followed by amphetamines such as methamphetamine, locally known in Nigeria as “ice”, and pharmaceutical opioids including tramadol. “Drug use in Africa is not simply a criminal issue; it is a public health issue, it is a youth issue, and it is an unemployment issue,” he said.
Other panellists highlighted contributing factors such as poverty, weak border controls, political instability and local production of illicit substances. They warned that drug use on the continent could rise significantly by 2030 if unchecked, and called for sustainable, community-driven treatment systems that combine medical, social and educational interventions to tackle what they described as an escalating crisis.
