Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman voiced deep concerns on Wednesday, January 14, about the mysterious pathways through which illicit drugs are reaching Ghana’s youth, questioning whether they are locally produced or smuggled from abroad.
Her remarks came during an official working visit to the Ministry of Youth and Development, where she engaged in high-level discussions with Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, Hon. George Opare-Addo, ministry directors, and CEOs of affiliated agencies.
The talks focused on bolstering institutional frameworks to enhance skills development, entrepreneurship, and leadership opportunities for Ghana’s burgeoning young population.
Prof. Opoku-Agyeman praised the minister’s collaborative efforts with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in combating drug abuse.
However, she raised pointed questions about the supply chain fueling the crisis.
“Another area I believe you are working on already with the Food and Drugs Administration. I just ask myself, how did these drugs get into our country? Did we produce them locally? I don’t know. If we are not producing them locally, then they are coming from somewhere. How do they get to us?” the Veep asked rhetorically.
The Vice President stressed the urgency of public education campaigns to safeguard the nation’s youth.
“Public education then becomes very, very important,” she emphasized.
“And I’m glad that, you know, showing the graph, we see that at a certain age, you know, they realise that this is not very helpful. But we need to protect our children so they know early on that this is not going to help them”, Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman added.
Her comments underscore ongoing national efforts to curb rising drug abuse among Ghanaian youth, amid reports from the FDA and Narcotics Control Commission indicating a surge in synthetic narcotics like tramadol and codeine infiltrating schools and communities.
Stakeholders at the ministry meeting reiterated commitments to multi-agency strategies, including stricter border controls and youth-focused awareness programs.
The Vice President’s visit signals the government’s renewed priority on youth empowerment as a bulwark against social vices, with expectations for concrete policy recommendations emerging from the discussions.
Source: www.Kumasimail.com
