Illicit drugs: Africa's silent growing crisis

The World Health Organization warns that many young Africans are turning to substance abuse. In addition, the UN estimates that by 2030, the number of drug users in Africa will have increased substantially.

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A bizarre sight welcomes anybody who enters the home of Asia Bianca and her husband in Kenya's coastal town of Malindi. An infant's slippers, strewn with cigarette waste and drug paraphernalia. But theirs is no ordinary home.

The slippers belonged to their little daughter, who died six months after she was born.

"When we went to bed, she was fine. Then when I woke up, she was foaming at the mouth. So I got scared and hoped when I was high on heroin that I hadn't placed my hand or leg on her, causing her to suffocate," a visibly downcast Bianca told DW.

Despite doctors ruling out her fears, Bianca still carries the guilt of her daughter's death. The 20-year-old and her husband are some of the 3,000 active injecting drug users in Malindi.

She said she was introduced to the habit by her ex-boyfriend, who used to secretly lace her cigarretes with heroin.

By the time she realized what was happening, she was already hooked.

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What is drug and substance abuse?

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes substance abuse as the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs.

WHO also says illicit drug use has adverse health and social consequences because it puts a heavy financial burden on the users, their families and society.

"The government has forgotten us. We are left homeless, sick at home, or sick in the streets, so we have no choice but to support each other," Yassir Abdallah, a recovering addict in Malindi, told DW.

The UN estimates that by 2030, the number of drug users in Africa will have increased by 40%.

In Africa, drug addicts often face discrimination and a lack of support, making it difficult for addicts to regain their lives.

"Such persons normally need treatment and critical attention," said Richard Opare, a drug addiction management professional in Ghana's capital, Accra.

"When they walk into the [rehabilitation] centers, many of the drug addicts come when they are not ready."

Opare, a former addict, explained that screening is then carried out to determine the kind of drug the addict is using.

After screening, therapists conduct an assessment to ascertain the severity of the problem. Finally, the person would enter the detox stage, where they get medical attention to ensure they get well.

© picture-alliance/dpa/M. Simaitis Sharing needles when injecting drugs is linked to contracting HIV and Hepatitis

Heroin and cocaine on transit

The town of Malindi, best known for its white sandy beaches and Italian tourists, hosts one of Kenya's highest numbers of heroin addicts.

Like most coastal towns in the East African country, international traffickers use it as a transit point for drugs transported from Afghanistan to the West.

According to the UN drugs agency (UNODC), the most often used illicit drug on the continent is cannabis. The second most frequently abused drug class in Africa is presently amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), which include "ecstasy" and methamphetamine.

There is also a growing number of drug users who inject substances. However, the practice is deemed particularly risky as sharing contaminated needles and syringes can transmit viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and C.

In West Africa, Guinea-Bissau is considered an important hub for drug trafficking — especially for cocaine.

Guinea-Bissau began its transformation into a narco-state in 2005, when longtime president Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira — who had ruled the country with an iron fist from 1980 to 1999 — was reelected after returning from six years of exile in Portugal.

"The drug lords feel right at home in Guinea-Bissau, like they are in paradise," Calvario Ahukharie, the former head of Interpol in Guinea-Bissau, told DW.

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COVID and substance abuse

Experts say the pandemic, unemployment, the high cost of living and a lack of perspective have created 'a perfect storm' for drug and substance abuse in Africa.

"When schools closed [during the lockdown], the number of young drug users shot up," said Alphonse Maina, a volunteer with the Omari Project, a community-based rehabilitation center in Malindi.

"In Malindi, if you are not taking heroin, they are taking Khat, smoking marijuana or cigarettes."

Observers like Maina say people should treat drug abuse as a medical condition, not a crime. Additionally, experts think it's critical to combat stigma and provide individuals who request it with free rehabilitation and medical care.

"Like if you're arrested with a small portion of heroin or cocaine for personal use, you go in for 15 years," Wamala Twaibu of the Uganda Harm Reduction Network said.

His initiative has been criticized for offering legal support to those arrested for injecting drugs like heroin.

"So the law is not fair. And what is happening is that law enforcement is using the law to extort. Get money from these communities, already disadvantaged communities."

For Asia Bianca, her only support at the moment is her husband — himself an addict.

Eunice Wanjiru, Antonio Cascais and Michael Oti contributed to this article