Strengthening the Nigerian Network for Epidemiology on Drug Use (Nendu’s) Technical Capacities in the Collection, Validation and Analysis of Data on Drug Use

“In West Africa, as in many other regions of the world, issues relating to substance abuse remain complex and constantly evolving.” This was the observation made by the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, on Tuesday 11 August 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria, at the opening of the capacity building workshop organised by the Nigerian Network for Epidemiology on Drug Use (NENDU). According to Ms Fatou Sow Sarr, represented by the Head of the Commission’s Drug Prevention and Control Division, Dr Daniel Amankwaah, this complex and ever changing nature requires continuous monitoring of emerging trends to enable the adoption of appropriate measures. Dr Daniel Amankwaah called on ECOWAS Member States to establish a system to monitor the scale, characteristics and trends of drug supply and demand, as well as national and regional responses to the situation. He also emphasised the need for coordinated collaboration between the health and law enforcement sectors, with a public health focused approach. This, he said, would enable the establishment of national mechanisms capable of both assessi