Group calls on FG, ECOWAS to protect marginalised individuals, human rights

The West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) and its partners have called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso to take immediate and decisive steps towards decriminalisation as well as the protection of human rights and marginalised persons.

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According to the group’s communications officer, Michael Tetteh, he noted that across West Africa, the criminalisation of vulnerable people and people with diverse sexual orientations (PWDSO) continues to deepen cycles of poverty, stigma, disease, and violence.

He noted that in Ghana and Nigeria particularly, punitive drug laws continue to contribute to prison overcrowding, HIV prevalence, and the isolation of people from healthcare systems.

According to the West Africa Commission on Drugs, chaired by the former UN Secretary-General, late Kofi Annan, it noted that 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,” he said.

Revealing that Senegal is the only country in West Africa with a legal and regulated sex work framework, he said despite its limitations, this model has helped reduce HIV transmission, enabled access to health services, and improved tracking of violence and abuse.

By contrast, he noted, 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.

Calling for the decriminalisation of sex work, Tetteh urged for the adoption of rights-based regulatory approaches and for all to be recognised as legitimate members of society with the right to safety, health, and dignity.

He further noted that the PWDSO community across West Africa faces state-sanctioned discrimination, increased violence, extortion by police, and a climate of fear.

“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 orientation or gender identity,” he said.

He called on ECOWAS to go beyond its current commitments and 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 vulnerable populations as well as hold governments accountable to international human rights treaties.

He further urged the amendment of repressive laws, expansion of community-led health services, funding of rights-based education and policing reforms, and including affected communities in decision-making processes.

“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,” he said.