Sierra Leone’s Minister of Internal Affairs Rtd. AIG. Morie Lengor Esq, attended a High Level Regional Conference Themed “Mapping the Future of Drug Markets in West Africa: Synthetic, Cocaine, Criminal Money and Strategic Response” Conference in Accra, Ghana on 27th and 28th November 2025.
Following the sharp expansion of the drug market that is driven largely by synthetic drugs, cocaine, and its impact on West Africa, a high-level Conference was jointly convened by the Government of the Netherlands, the Government of Ghana and the Government of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, which marks a critical step in bringing together regional and multi-stakeholders to drive forward a more effective and cohesive response to drug markets, particularly cocaine and synthetic drugs in West Africa.
The dialogue, which sought to build coalitions of stakeholders, represents an urgent and complex health, security and human rights challenge in West Africa, and also seek to address the impacts of drug markets and drive the momentum for responses.
As one of the keynote speakers, Minister Lengor Esq, convened warm greetings from His Excellency the President Brig. Rtd. Julius Maada Bio and the Government and people of Sierra Leone to the organisers of the Conference – the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, while thanking Ghana for their hospitality and inclusion of Sierra Leone. He also expressed his condolences to the people of Ghana for the loss of their First Lady Mrs. Rawlings.
He highlighted that Sierra Leone is currently suffering from a significant and illicit synthetic drug with Kush being the foremost and most urgent concern, demanding a swift national and international response.
The Minister also outlined four major national priorities in addressing the issue of drug markets in West Africa. The list includes among other things; the review of the National Drug Control Act 2008 to align with evidence-based standards, the implementation of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Strategic Master Plan, the regulation and strengthening of nationwide treatment and rehabilitation facilities, and reinforcing community-based harm reduction programmes across the country.
He emphasised that the mobilisation of local, international, technical, and financial support is crucial to the success of this approach. This he said includes strongly encouraging UNODC West Africa and the West Africa Coast Initiative (WACI) to reinstate their programs in Sierra Leone.
Following a comprehensive presentation, the Minister also held a critical bilateral meeting to solidify international support and coordinate strategy against the synthetic drug crisis.
The meeting also brought together key international partners, high-level government officials including representatives from the British High Commission in Ghana, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Dutch Department of Justice.
The discussions primarily focused on strengthening multilateral cooperation in several crucial areas, intelligence sharing to disrupt transnational trafficking networks, capacity building, securing technical assistance for the country’s drug enforcement agency, and the implementation of its strategic plan.
The Minister was accompanied by the Deputy Executive Director of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Mr. Prince Bull Luseni, AIG. Slyvester Koroma, Regional Commander SLP Freetown-West, Abubakar Kamara Senior Director, Ports and Harbour Authority of NRA, Ahmed J M Bockarie Esq, Principal State Counsel Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice among others, also made technical and valuable contributions to the discussions.