APA, in Collaboration with UNODC-CRIMJUST and WACAP, Advances Regional Cooperation against Illicit Drug Trafficking
On 20th July 2026, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cabo Verde, Ms. Patricia Portela de Souza, officially opened the three-day “Regional Investigative Forum on Illicit Drug Trafficking and Related Offences: Trends and Features” in Praia, Cabo Verde.
The workshop brought together 18 participants from APA and WACAP, representing 16 African countries. Its aim was to provide a platform for prosecutors and other criminal justice actors to share information on current and emerging drug trafficking threats, identify common challenges, exchange good practices and develop strategies to disrupt organised criminal networks and their assets.
During the opening, Ms. Souza emphasised that illicit drug trafficking poses a serious threat to regional security, border integrity, public health and sustainable development. She noted that tighter anti-drug trafficking measures in the United States have contributed to criminal networks shifting their operations towards West, East and Southern Africa, which is increasingly used as a transit route for cocaine moving from Latin America to Europe.
She further underscored that these developments have consequences across Africa, as the same networks contribute to organised crime, violence and drug related harm. The forum therefore marked an important milestone for APA in strengthening prosecutorial capacity through collaboration with UNODC-CRIMJUST and the Border Management Branch.
