Ghana: Excessive Drinking of Alcohol And Smoking By Youth Condemned

Albert Nana Asante

28 July 2011

The Executive Director of Proud to be Ghanaian Initiative, Mr. Clarence Ankomah, has called for appropriate legislature and monitoring policy that would make it an offence for alcoholic beverage dealers to sell such products to under 18 youth in the country.

‘Proud to be Ghanaian Initiative’, which seeks to deepen patriotism and encourage healthy lifestyles among the youth, was launched last year at Obuasi.

The Initiative also seeks to educate people on positive values that would help them avoid attitudes that adversely affect the development of the country, and expressed regret at the manner in which most of the youth had taken to alcohol and smoking of late.

Speaking to the press at Obuasi, the Executive Director of the Initiative said though there are inscriptions on the bottles of such drinks indicating that they are meant for only those 18 years and above, that alone was not an enforcement tool to prevent the youth from patronising these products.

“Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages by our youth is seriously undermining the future of this country,” he further stressed.

He maintained that the rising number of riots in the nation’s Senior High Schools, especially, during sports festivals, were as a result of the students taking in excessive alcohol during the games period.

“Something concrete must be done by the government and civil society organisations to check the rate at which our youth are befriending alcohol, smoking, and other drugs that have the potential to damage their future.”

Mr. Ankomah, therefore, reiterated the call on the legislature to pass a bill that would make it an offence for drinking bar operators, restaurants and other ‘ghetto’ spots to sell alcohol to children less than 18 years.

“We need to protect the country’s youth so as to ensure the brighter future for the country,” he said adding, “the future of every nation deepens on a vibrant, knowledgeable and responsible youth.”

Mr. Ankomah pointed out that one of emerging social acts that place the youth at a disadvantage was the gay and lesbianism culture.

“Now, a lot of people, including the clergy, chiefs and civil society groups, are condemning homosexual practices in the country, but that alone cannot put off this uncultured behaviour in the society.”

The Executive Director said the arguments that there were no laws to punish the perpetrators should make the government sit and design the appropriate measures to deal with the cancer.

He intimated: “The Proud to be Ghanaian initiative will continue to criticise all forms of human actions that will endanger the future of the youth.”

The Communications Director of the Initiative, Mr. Albert Nana Asante, called on the Ghanaian media to be part of this noble drive “to get our youth out of all forms of undisciplined lifestyles that will bring gloom in the country.”

He added that his outfit would dialogue with the Obuasi Municipal Assembly to take the initiative of developing a bye-law that would debar drinking bar keepers from selling alcoholic beverages to the youth.

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