West Africa Ivory Coast, and a succession of military coups in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Since the end of colonialism, the region has been the stage for some brutal conflicts, including: The Economic Community of West African States, established in May 1975, has defined the region of West Africa since 1999 as including the following 15 states: Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Western Africa includes the preceding states with the addition of Mauritania (which withdrew from ECOWAS in 1999), comprising an area of approximately 6.1 million square km. The UN region also includes the island of Saint Helena, a British overseas
West Africa Commission on Drugs particularly Tramadol has become a major health crisis in the region. The commission proposed a detailed Model Drug Law which would end all criminal penalties relating to personal drug use and possession. This would allow law enforcement efforts to focus on unauthorised drug production and trafficking offences. It is suggested that Ghana may become the first Sub-Saharan country to decriminalise personal drug use and possession. West Africa Commission on Drugs The West Africa Commission on Drugs was launched by the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2014. Olusegun Obasanjo chaired the commission. Obasanjo urged strengthening law enforcement and refocussing efforts on "high-level