The project explores local narratives on the drug trade and irregular migration in two of West Africa’s major trade and control hubs: Lagos in Nigeria, and Agadez in Niger. It looks specifically at the trade in the synthetic opioid tramadol and the transport of migrants. While our current understanding relies mostly on depictions from the outside, especially western-derived concepts and empirical data, local narratives will help to better understand what these semi-illicit activities mean in West Africa, what has caused their emergence and what could potentially help to address them as a policy issue.

This is a collaborative research project between the Universities of Bristol and Ottawa and the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA Nigeria). It is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research (PaCCS).

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