Africa criminalises trafficking of fake drugs

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Africa criminalises trafficking of fake drugs

8:58 CAT | 21 Jan 2020

Signing of the Lomé Initiative. [Photo: Presidency of the Togo Republic]

Africa has agreed to criminalise the trafficking of fake drugs on the continent.

This was reached in Lome, Togo on Saturday where seven African leaders and their partners held a summit to tackle the menace.

The trafficking of fake drugs affects over 100,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa.

“This is the first time that we Africans have tackled the problem of fake medicines and their trafficking ourselves. A scourge of which our continent is the first victim and whose consequences are dramatic for our populations. Africa must take its destiny into its own hands and engage in the fight against this deadly traffic’‘, Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé said.

Our Serge Koffi who covered the summit reports that ‘‘the seven Heads of State made a solemn commitment at the summit to implement the Lomé initiative. Does this convention herald the end of impunity for traffickers of fake drugs? It is now up to governments to work towards the establishment of a framework agreement extended to other African countries with a road map to put an end to this deadly menace,” he said.