West Africa Drug Policy Network

What West Africa Drug Policy Network does

West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) is a regional civil society organization headquartered in Accra, Ghana, that advocates for evidence-based and humane drug policies across 16 West African countries. Its activities are organized through national chapters in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Togo, each led by a focal point, with a secretariat led by Executive Director Prince Bull-Luseni.

WADPN does not develop or sell commercial technology products or services. Its "products" are advocacy outputs: regional webinars, policy submissions, coalition statements, and participation in forums such as Africa Policy Week. Notable advocacy outcomes attributed to WADPN and partners include contributing to Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020 (Act 1019), supporting the development of Ghana's National Harm Reduction Guidelines for Persons Who Use Drugs, and the inauguration of Ghana's first harm reduction Drop-in Centre in Kasoa with WAPCAS Plus under the Global Fund GC7 Project.

The organization's business model is grant-funded international development financing from organizations including Open Society Foundations, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Harm Reduction International, the Global Fund, and Genesis Analytics (via the i2i small grants mechanism). Revenue is not publicly disclosed. WADPN's primary constituencies are people who use drugs, sex workers, LGBTQI individuals, and local civil society organizations; it engages government stakeholders including ECOWAS, Ghana Health Service, Ghana AIDS Commission, and NACOC on policy reform. The organization has no commercial customers in the traditional sense and provides all programs free to beneficiaries.

Name

West Africa Drug Policy Network

Legal name

West Africa Drug Policy Network

Website

https://wadpn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WADPN is a Ghana-based regional civil society network with chapters in 16 West African countries that advocates for evidence-based, humane drug policies and harm reduction for people who use drugs, sex workers, and LGBTQI communities, funded by international development grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAKAO

Global Health Advocacy, Policy & Rights Organizations

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

SECONDARYBPAGACAE

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Health & Medical Nonprofits

Keywords

• Drug policy reform
• Harm reduction advocacy
• Civil society network
• Human rights advocacy
• Public health policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. International Development Funding: WADPN receives funding from international organizations and foundations supporting drug policy reform, harm reduction, and human rights advocacy in West Africa. Funding partners include Open Society Foundations, OSIWA, and Harm Reduction International.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) is a regional civil society advocacy network promoting evidence-based and humane drug policies grounded in public health and human rights across West Africa. Through 16 country chapters and a secretariat in Accra, Ghana, WADPN delivers regional advocacy campaigns for drug policy reform and decriminalization, capacity building for civil society organizations, policy analysis and technical support, coalition building, evidence-based research, resource dissemination, and webinars on harm reduction and human rights for people who use drugs, sex workers, and LGBTQI communities.

Product overview

West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) is a regional civil society organization that does not offer commercial technology products or services. WADPN functions as an advocacy network promoting evidence-based and humane drug policies grounded in public health and human rights across West Africa. Its activities include regional advocacy, capacity building, webinars, coalition building with civil society organizations, research and evidence gathering, and resource dissemination. The organization maintains chapters in 16 West African countries and collaborates with partners on harm reduction, decriminalization advocacy, and human rights for marginalized communities including people who use drugs, sex workers, and LGBTQI individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regional Drug Policy Reform Advocacy
• Capacity Building Programs for Civil Society
• Harm Reduction Coalition Programs
• Human Rights Advocacy for Marginalized Communities
• Policy Analysis and Research

Quantifiable outcome

• Contributed to Ghana's adoption of the Narcotics Control Act 2020 (Act 1019), providing alternatives to incarceration and legitimizing harm reduction programmes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harm Reduction InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting pandemic treaty advocacy and providing resources on harm reduction best practices
• IDNOWA (Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in regional webinar series advocating for human rights and inclusion of marginalized communities (PWUD, sex workers, LGBTQI) in West Africa
• AWEYA (Association Wende-Yam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in regional webinar series on human rights advocacy for marginalized communities in West Africa
• NSWA (Nigeria Sex Workers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in advocacy coalition for human rights and inclusion of sex workers in West Africa
• ICTHARAE (International Centre for Total Health and Right Advocacy Empowerment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in regional advocacy coalition for marginalized communities in West Africa
• Colibri SudminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in regional advocacy coalition for marginalized communities in West Africa
• ISDAO (Initiative Sankofa d'Afrique de l'Ouest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in civil society coalition calling on West African heads of state to adopt human rights-based policies
• WAPCAS Plus (West Africa Program to Combat AIDS and STI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner that inaugurated Ghana's first harm reduction centre with support from Global Fund GC7 Project
• International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network partner providing advocacy resources and campaign support including the 'Support. Don't Punish' campaign
• Rights Reporter Foundation (RRF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on video and media advocacy training for harm reduction and drug policy advocates across Africa
• TB/HIV CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Africa Policy Week and partner in video/media advocacy training
• SANPUD (South Africa Network of People who Use Drugs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Africa Policy Week 2023, hosted in Cape Town
• Drug Policy AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted drug advocacy tour in Nigeria and engaged with civil society on drug policy reform
• Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Gambia drug law reform sensitization meetings with CSOs and religious leaders
• ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)coreOthersRegional body that WADPN engages with to advocate for human rights-based drug policies and calls upon to adopt regional strategies for key populations
• University of Ghana School of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing Ghana's National Harm Reduction Guidelines for Persons Who Use Drugs

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Frontline AIDS: Global alliance of civil society organizations working on HIV and key populations, including PWUD and sex workers. Operates as an enabling/funder ecosystem for advocacy networks like WADPN across overlapping key populations.
• AFEW International: International NGO working on health (including harm reduction) for key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Comparable broad mission on PWUD health and rights, but operating in a different geography and with a more clinical-service orientation than WADPN.

Direct peers

• Drug Policy Alliance (DPA): US-based leading drug policy reform organization advocating for evidence-based, humane approaches to drug use. DPA co-conducted a drug advocacy tour in Nigeria with WADPN and collaborates on international policy reform — directly comparable advocacy model and policy goals.
• International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC): Global network of 190+ NGOs advocating for drug policy reform grounded in human rights and public health. WADPN is an IDPC member and partner on the Support. Don't Punish campaign; IDPC provides advocacy resources and coordinates WADPN's regional work within a global movement.
• South Africa Network of People who Use Drugs (SANPUD): Regional African drug user-led network, co-organizer of Africa Policy Week 2023 alongside WADPN. SANPUD is structurally analogous to WADPN's chapters: a national-level civil society network advancing harm reduction and human rights for PWUD in Africa.
• Release (UK drugs charity): UK-based drug policy and human rights NGO providing legal services and advocacy on drug-related issues. Release operates in a comparable functional niche — combining frontline services, policy analysis, and rights-based advocacy — to WADPN but in a different geography.
• Harm Reduction International (HRI): Leading international NGO dedicated to promoting harm reduction and rights-based drug policy. HRI is a core WADPN partner supporting pandemic treaty advocacy and harm reduction best practices; both organizations serve overlapping global and regional advocacy functions for PWUD.
• West Africa Network of Civil Society Organizations on Substance Abuse (WANCSA): Regional West African CSO network on substance abuse; WADPN's Executive Director was previously WANCSA's anglophone coordinator. Overlapping geographic scope and constituency (PWUD/CSOs in West Africa) make this the closest direct regional peer.
• International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD): Global peer-run network advocating for the rights, health, and dignity of people who use drugs. INPUD and WADPN share a constituency-led advocacy model, both emphasizing the 'Nothing About Us Without Us' principle for PWUD representation in policy.
• Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC): Canadian coalition advocating for drug policy reform grounded in public health, human rights, and evidence — comparable vision and structural model (membership-based network). Functions as a regional equivalent in North America with similar partner organizations (HRI, IDPC).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wadpn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wadpn
• Facebookfacebook.com/wadpn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wadpn
• Instagraminstagram.com/wadpn_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about West Africa Drug Policy Network