Sub-Saharan Africa Drug Prevention and Treatment Summit 2027

Sub-Saharan Africa Drug Prevention and Treatment Summit

From Evidence to Action: Advancing Science-Driven Drug Demand Reduction Across Sub-Saharan Africa

12-14 October 2027

Kigali, Republic of Rwanda

About the Summit

The Sub-Saharan Africa Drug Prevention and Treatment Summit 2027 (SSA-DPTS 2027) is a three-day scientific and policy summit designed to be the next milestone in a regional continuum of drug demand reduction diplomacy. It represents a critical consolidation of commitments made at the Afri-Asia Drug Prevention and Treatment Summit (Nairobi, 2025) and the East Africa Youth Forum on Drugs (Arusha, 2026).

The SSA-DPTS 2027 is not just another conference; it is a scientifically rigorous platform designed to close the loop between regional declarations and actionable, evidence-based implementation. Our goal is to subject our collective commitments to scientific scrutiny, generate peer-reviewed evidence, and produce a costed, monitorable regional agenda for the next five years.

Summit Background & Rationale

Why the Summit is Needed Now:
Sub-Saharan Africa’s drug situation is evolving rapidly, outpacing the region’s surveillance and service-delivery capacity. Globally, the number of people who use drugs has risen significantly, while treatment access remains critically low. In West and Central Africa, the emergence of dangerous mixtures like “kush” has created public health emergencies.

This summit addresses three critical gaps:

The Scientific Evidence Gap

Much of the region's prevention and treatment programming is not yet grounded in local knowledge and generated data.

The Workforce/Systems Gap

Prevention and treatment services are often NGO/donor-dependent and under-resourced by national health systems.

The Translation Gap

Regional declarations have not yet been converted into a shared, monitorable sub-Saharan implementation agenda.

Summit Goal & Objectives

Goal:

To strengthen a scientific, evidence-based, and youth-inclusive drug demand reduction response across sub-Saharan Africa through research exchange, capacity building, and policy dialogue.

Our Strategic Objectives:

Advance Evidence:Present and peer-review current epidemiological and intervention research on substance use across sub-Saharan Africa.
Drive Implementation:Translate the Nairobi Declaration and Arusha Forum commitments into a costed, time-bound sub-Saharan implementation agenda.
Build Workforce Capacity:Strengthen the professional workforce through competency-based training aligned to UNODC/ISSUP Universal Prevention and Treatment Curricula.
Empower Youth:Provide a structured platform for youth researchers and advocates to present evidence and shape policy recommendations.
Foster Collaboration:Advance regional research collaboration and data-sharing mechanisms among universities, national drug authorities, and civil society.

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Join us in Kigali, Rwanda, for the Sub-Saharan Africa Drug Prevention and Treatment Summit 2027.

Building on the momentum of the Afri-Asia Summit (2025) and the East Africa Youth Forum (2026), this is the premier scientific and policy event to translate regional commitments into a measurable, evidence-based agenda for the future.