The African Council on Narcotics (ACON) is a voluntary, non-racial, non-political, non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO). ACON is involved in diverse actions/activities against illicit substance use/abuse and trafficking. The primary mandate of the council is to improve upon the quality of social life of our youth empowering them to live healthy drug-free lifestyle. ACON was founded in January 1994 and officially registered on 8 July 1996 in Nigeria under Part C – Incorporated Trustees of the Companies and Allied Matters Decree No. 1, 1990 of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with Registration No. 9552. Since then the council has embarked upon a number of programmes and projects in line with the objectives and mandate in the ACON charter.
The Objectives of ACON include the following:
i) To embark upon intensive urban and rural campaigns for public support and participation in the fight against abuse of narcotics substances throughout Africa; facilitate awareness and the mobilization of all communities including governments, organisations, agencies, institutions, trusts, foundations, writers, intellectuals, and other professionals to support and act towards enhancing the eradication of the drug scourge.
ii) To promote cooperation between African governments and the governments of other continents including statutory bodies, agencies, foundations, trusts, projects and governmental and non-governmental organisations on matters of common concern in relation to illicit substances; advice on policy and speak on matters of common concern in relation to substances of abuse; advice on policy and speak on matters pertaining to controlled substances for African countries to regional, continental and world bodies; relay information between such bodies, organs or agencies and countries.
iii) To provide a forum for discussion by various communities, governmental and non-governmental organisations and agencies to share experiences and knowledge in common with the objective of eradicating the drug scourge in Africa.
iv) To embark on Research generally for effective Demand Reduction, Treatment and Rehabilitation and to conduct inquiries into cartel activities to identify demand and supply outlets, barons, their collaborators, couriers, traffickers, neighbourhood dealers, peddlers and users of narcotics substances generally; such information shall be classified as security material.
v) To carry out Researches into the phenomenon of abuse of illicit substances, and through research gather information and statistics on governmental and voluntary agencies activities in view thereto; and to provide independent empirical findings, data and balanced opinion on the extent and general efforts of various African governments in the fight against the drug scourge.
vi) To plan, organise and promote activities that will enhance healthy African societies including the prevention of Social Accidents, Domestic Violence, Gender Based Violence (GBV), HIV/AIDS and Crime.
vii) To establish institutions and centers for treatment and rehabilitation of addicts; promote and sponsor the setting-up of holistic neighbourhood societies for the treatment, rehabilitation and support of recovering addicts. Treatment administered by ACON shall straddle chemotherapy, psychotherapy, social and spiritual counselling.
viii) To plan, promote and carry out lectures, TV, Radio Workshop and mini-symposium, seminars, conferences, exhibitions, drama, guidance and counselling programmes and clinics against the use and abuse of narcotics substances among rural/urban dwellers, students and various other groups socio-geographically; undertake film documentary projects, and sponsor Newspapers and TV advertisements, erect billboards, publish posters, monographs, newsletters and the ACON journal ANTI-NARCOTICS.
ix) To equip the various personnel within ACON and other organisations with necessary skills, training and orientation that will assist recovering addicts to resist pressures that predispose them to drug abuse as preventive measure towards demand reduction or relapse upon rehabilitation.
x) To source and provide technical support by way of material, funds, and human factor to smaller community based non-governmental organisations involved in similar projects around Africa.
xi) To provide post-abuse support incentives to treated addicts to enable them become socially reintegrated into the mainstream of society.
xii) To do all such things in co-operation at all levels with international, regional and national institutions, agencies and organisations to the attainment of these objectives of the AFRICAN COUNCIL ON NARCOTICS; to procure the (registration of the Council) in any country within and/or outside Africa.
African Council On Narcotics 