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<p>Drug trafficking in West Africa is a multi-million pound business, which damages
the social fabric in both West Africa as a region of transit, and in destination countries
such as Europe, the Middle East and North America. Tackling drug trafficking in West
Africa will require international co-operation and long-term commitment, using a wide
range of policy and law enforcement tools. <br><br>We have noted with interest the
conclusions and recommendations of the report by the Kofi Annan Foundation’s West
Africa Commission on Drugs, and the report has informed our thinking as we take forward
our own activity on this issue. Priority areas for action in the region include bearing
down on corruption, strengthening good governance, building regional ability to share
information and conduct investigations, improving joint action on borders and cross-border
traffic, and building criminal justice capacity. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
will continue to work with the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service
to strengthen regional capacity in all these areas. <br><br>The UK is also working
with G7 and other international partners to better coordinate serious and organised
crime-related assistance in West Africa. A new G7+ Assistance Strategy Committee will
meet for the first time in November to set collective assistance priorities for the
next five years.</p>
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