The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has inaugurated a three-day Regional Workshop on Early Warning Responses to Illicit Drug Flows and Human Security Risks in the Mano River Union in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to strengthen regional cooperation against illicit drug trafficking and other transnational security threats.
The workshop, organised by the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate, brought together senior government officials, National Centres for the Coordination of Response Mechanisms, regional organisations, security and public health institutions, civil society organisations, academia and development partners to enhance early warning systems, improve cross-border information sharing and promote coordinated responses to illicit drug trafficking and its human security implications.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, represented by the ECOWAS Resident Representative to Sierra Leone, Ambassador John Azumah, reaffirmed the regional body’s commitment to peace and security through preventive diplomacy, describing early warning as a cornerstone of ECOWAS’ regional security architecture.
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He urged participants to produce practical recommendations that would inform policy decisions and support the implementation of the ECOWAS Vision 2050 agenda.
In her welcome address, Acting Director of the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate, Dr. Onyinye Onwuka, described illicit drug trafficking as an evolving transnational human security threat with far-reaching consequences for governance, public health, youth development, community stability and economic growth.
She warned that the proliferation of synthetic drugs, including Kush, requires stronger early warning systems, strategic foresight, integrated risk analysis and timely preventive action.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Sierra Leone’s National Early Warning and Response Mechanism Centre, Mrs. Francess Nyuma, called for stronger institutional cooperation, closer collaboration between security and public health agencies and sustained community engagement to address the growing threat of illicit drug trafficking and organised crime.
The workshop attracted directors and analysts from ECOWAS Member States’ National Early Warning and Response Mechanism Centres, representatives of national public health and security institutions, the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), the Regional Security Division Centre (RSDC), the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), civil society organisations, academia, technical experts and officials of the ECOWAS Commission.
During the three-day meeting, participants are expected to assess emerging trends in illicit drug trafficking, strengthen collaboration among national response mechanism centres, enhance cross-border information sharing and develop policy and operational recommendations to reinforce the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Architecture and improve regional responses to transnational threats.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the Deputy Secretary-General for Peace and Security, Mrs. Ange M. C. Konan-Monu, and the Regional Analyst for Organised Crime and Violent Extremism at the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding.
