West African regional group ECOWAS and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are educating their desk officers with the goal of improving the collection and investigation of drug-related data.
In the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, a significant training event is underway. The ECOWAS Commission, in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), is conducting a three-day training for the Nigeria Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (NENDU) Desk Officers.
Retired Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, is overseeing the training, which is sponsored by the ECOWAS Commission and focused on improving the capacity of over 35 NDLEA Drug Treatment Centre Desk Officers.
Each country's national network, like Nigeria's NENDU, feeds into the regional West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU) database. The NENDU reports, generated by the Desk Officers, are vital for gathering evidence for prevention campaigns, treatment services, and policy decisions.
The training aims to equip NENDU Desk Officers with advanced skills for collecting and analysing drug data. These modern techniques will help ensure timely, accurate, and actionable data, which is crucial in addressing Nigeria's evolving drug landscape, according to Marwa.
Dr Sintiki Ugbe, the Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs at the ECOWAS Commission, described substance abuse in West Africa as complex and constantly evolving. She emphasised the importance of reliable, credible, and actionable data to help strengthen Nigeria's response to drug abuse and trafficking.
The director of the Department of Human and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission who participated in the training activity did not have a name available in the provided search results. However, they called on participants to see the training as a long-term investment in national and regional security.
ECOWAS is providing computers, scanners, and other equipment to NDLEA treatment centres to support data collection efforts. Every statistic verified and record kept by the NENDU Desk Officers could be key to unlocking major drug networks or saving communities from substance abuse.
This training is part of a broader investment by ECOWAS in strengthening data systems for addressing substance abuse issues. Similar support will be extended to other treatment centres in 2026.
The NENDU system was established by ECOWAS in 2013 to monitor and address drug use trends across member states. Its importance in generating evidence for prevention campaigns, treatment services, and policy decisions cannot be overstated. As Desk Officers, NENDU participants are considered the frontline actors in the data value chain, and their diligence and accuracy are crucial to the integrity of the NENDU system.
The training for the NENDU Desk Officers is not the only investment ECOWAS is making in improving data collection and analysis capacities. (NAN) (www.our website)
This news article was produced using factual bullet points provided. Opinions or unrelated information were not included.
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