Dealing with individuals facing drug consumption-related disorders in Benin does not necessarily involve prison. It is around this approach that a train-the-trainer workshop opened on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, in Benin, at the initiative of the representation office of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Benin. The gathering brings together actors from the justice, security, and health sectors as well as representatives of civil society. It aims to build their capacities regarding solutions that can be implemented in place of imprisonment, when legislation permits.
For ECOWAS, disorders related to the use of psychoactive substances call for responses that also take into account the health and social dimensions. Representing the Resident Representative of the ECOWAS Commission, Jonas Houédou Mahuéna emphasized the limits of an exclusively punitive response. He noted the evolution of practices in favor of better care for the individuals concerned, notably through treatment, support, and rehabilitation. The regional organization thus intends to help member states develop adapted referral mechanisms and strengthen specialized structures. In Benin, the support concerns in particular the drug addiction care unit of the National University Hospital Center of Psychiatry of Cotonou. Renovation work on this unit is announced as 60% complete. More than 200 health professionals in the region have also benefited from training on the specialized care of disorders related to the use of psychoactive substances.
Benin relies on care
On the Beninese side, this approach is presented as a way to better articulate public health, justice, security, and reintegration issues. The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Interior and Public Security, Éric Agossounon, recalled the measures already taken by the country. He specifically cited law 2018-16 of December 28, 2018, bearing the Penal Code and its amendments, which provide for substitute sentences in certain situations. Benin also has a national drug control policy based on an integrated and multisectoral approach. Prevention, detoxification, treatment, and psychosocial support are part of the responses developed. Several structures contribute to this care, including the mental health service of the psychiatric hospital of Cotonou, the Integrated Addiction Care Center of Cotonou, and the Saint-Camille mental health center of Djougou. The workshop’s work notably focuses on disorders related to drug consumption, the principles of alternatives to imprisonment, and the mechanisms making it possible to refer individuals to appropriate services. Participants are also addressing scientifically-based treatment methods. Coordination among the various actors is also on the agenda, as are techniques intended to train other professionals in turn. At the end of the discussions, a roadmap is to be drawn up taking into account the Beninese legal framework and ECOWAS guidelines. For Éric Agossounon, this approach does not call into question the role of the justice system. Rather, when the law authorizes it, it seeks to propose responses adapted to the situation of the individuals concerned, with the objective of promoting their recovery and reintegration, without losing sight of security imperatives.
Source: Le Matinal (Benin)
