ESACD: The Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs

Context

East and Southern Africa is a transit region for inter-continental drug flows often en route to European and US markets. The region also supplies regional and other African drug markets, and there is evidence that these drug flows are continuing and have increased. Countries, such as South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Kenya,  are assessed to have the highest scores for the heroin trade under the 2023 ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index. The consequences of growing and diversifying drugs markets in the region are severe. The health and social costs associated with drug use and addiction are an enormous burden, often falling most heavily on already-marginalised communities.

Despite the enormous cost in the region, the drug problem has not been met with a commensurate response. Responses to drug trafficking by national governments have been uneven, poorly coordinated and often weak; as many countries use harsh approaches to try to tackle the drug problem and evidence-based, humane, rehabilitated approaches are few or non-existent. 

Overall objective

This project aims to contribute to the mitigation of the impact of drug trafficking and drug use in East and Southern Africa, including impacts on health, governance, development, security and the rule of law.

Specific objectives

• To promote the adoption of evidence-based policies towards drug markets in East and Southern Africa, which effectively mitigate the impacts on governance, development, security and the rule of law.
• To encourage cooperation, both between countries in the region which are linked by trans-regional drug trafficking routes, and between national and regional bodies and civil society organisations working to counter drugs issues. 

Concrete activities

• Participation in events, such as the 67th Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna (March 2024), Ministerial Conference on Drug Trafficking in Mauritius (April 2024), and the African Union meeting on synthetic drug supply reduction in Madagascar (Oct 2024).
• ESACD took part in Crime Fighting Week in Brussels (Jun 2024), hosted a cannabis regulation meeting in Mozambique (Aug 2024), and presented at the World Science Forum in Budapest (Nov 2024).
• Engagements with the Impact Coalition at the UNGA event in New York (Sep 2024), a SADC Parliamentary Meeting on cannabis use in Botswana (Apr 2025), and an upcoming meeting with health and law enforcement authorities (Aug 2025).
• ESACD Report launch foreseen in Kenya for June 2025.

Expected results

• The publication and dissemination of an ESACD report on the scale of the drug problem in East and Southern Africa, with prioritised, actionable recommendations in June 2025.
• Public advocacy and campaigning across East and Southern Africa to promote dialogue about the ESACD findings and promote awareness of the costs of punitive and counterproductive drug policies on governance and health.
• Priority activities derived from the ESACD Commission that will further build capacity for regional authorities to act on the recommendations of the ESACD. These may include programmes that engage with key groups including drug user communities and regional police commissions.

Achievements

• ESACD developed, published, and disseminated 12 background papers analysing key issues like health, law enforcement strategies, and rehabilitation efforts.
• Through meetings across multiple locations, including Cape Town, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Botswana, Vienna, and Brussels, ESACD engaged with 775 stakeholders from CSOs, government, law enforcement, media, and academia to discuss drug policy reforms.
• ESACD backed drug market surveillance efforts in Kenya and South Africa, collaborated with NACADA and SANPUD on heroin network analysis, and supported the development of Kenya’s Harm Reduction Bill.
• ESACD’s presence strengthened EU engagement with H.E. Motlanthe and other commissioners, enhancing awareness and coordination for future initiatives.
• Strong engagement with key regional and international bodies like the UN, African Union, SADC, EAC, and Combined Maritime Forces, leading to wider collaboration on policy and enforcement.
• A publicly endorsed report is set to catalyse a regional discussion and momentum around its findings and recommendations.
• ESACD interventions fostered EU partnerships, improved rule-of-law strategies, and enhanced collaboration through EMPACT to tackle organised crime.