The Fourth Session of the AU Conference of Ministers for Drug Control and Crime Prevention opened on Friday at the head quarters of the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The theme of the conference is “Turning the tide of drugs and crime in Africa-from policy to action”.

The President of Ethiopia, Girma Woldegiorgis made the welcoming remarks to the official opening ceremony, which was also attended by the Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, Erastus Mwencha.

President Girma placed the importance of the meeting within overall efforts at continental level. “The lessons learnt from the fight against drugs and crime in Africa and the exchange of information at this time among AU member states is no doubt critical for the continuous regional and continental efforts to be carried out in the area”, the President said.

In her opening address to the Ministerial meeting, Commissioner of Social Affairs at the AUC, Advocate Bience Gawanas outlined the extent of the drug problem in Africa. “Reported cases of drug trafficking on the continent have been on the increase, with revenue generated from illicit activities even distorting some economies and destabilizing some African countries,” she said. “Africa is facing a severe and complex drug problem: not only drug trafficking, but also production and consumption”. Commissioner Gawanas also suggested some solutions. “First and foremost, we must strengthen the development of our judicial systems and the rule of law at national level,” she said. “Secondly, we must strengthen information-sharing among affected countries in order to disrupt trafficking networks.”
The conference is expected to reach consensus regarding the strengthening of continental early warning systems and adopt key action areas for the strengthening of criminal justice systems in Member States in order to turn the tide of drugs and crime in Africa.

Participants at the conference include Ministers and experts responsible for drug control and crime prevention in AU Member States, AU Commission and other AU Organs, RECs, specialized national agencies and international organizations. The Ministerial meeting that started on Friday was preceded by an experts’ meeting, which was held from 28-30 September.