The harmful use of alcohol is a cause for great concern globally and nationally. Though alcohol use is part of the Ghanaian culture and society, the current trend of consumption and inadequate regulation of alcohol adverts in both the prints and electronic media is a source of worry. Yet the seriousness of this issue does not seem to register well with the general public hence, not much has been done to regulate the sector. The informal sector which produces alcoholic beverages with high percentage of ethyl alcohol, is also largely unregulated.

It was in the light of this that the Baraka Policy Institute (BPI) saw the need to collaborate with Ministry of Health and other stakeholders including the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) to develop an alcohol policy for Ghana. The policy seeks to regulate the production, distribution, the marketing and consumption of alcohol in Ghana. This was done in order to protect children and other vulnerable groups from being lured into alcoholism and its harmful consequences on themselves and the society.

BPI began to explore innovative and effective ways of contributing to the reduction and regulation of alcohol manufacturing, importation and consumption in the country. This forms part of BPI’s advocacy work against substance abuse. In line with this, BPI initiated a working relationship with Ghana’s Ministry of Health and the technical committee responsible for the draft of National Alcohol Policy (NAP) with the view to give intellectual and financial support to the committee in order to enhance the speedy drafting of the NAP, and the development of legislation instrument (LI) and its adoption by Parliament of Ghana.

On October 25, 2015 BPI managed to have a strategic meeting with the Minister of Health, Mr. Alex Segbefia at his residence on the need to hold a national stakeholders conference to finalize the draft and strategize for the development and adoption of a legislation instrument for the control of harmful use of alcohol in the country. As a result of the fruitful meeting with the Hon. Minister, BPI in collaboration with the Ministry of Health held the first ever national stakeholders conference on national alcohol policy on December 3, 2015 at the Accra International Conference Centre. At the end of the conference, a Technical Committee made up of representatives of key stakeholders including BPI was set up to do a final review of the draft and submit to the Minister. After series of meetings sponsored by BPI, the Technical Committee finished its work and submitted the draft to the Minister in August, 2016.

After the assumption of a new political administration, BPI engaged the new Minister of Health Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu on the work done and agreed with him to launch the National Alcohol Policy (NAP). On March, 17, 2017, the Minister signed the National Alcohol Policy and formally launched it at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Health. The function was chaired by the Board Chair of BPI and attended by The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Country Representative Dr Owen Laws Kaluwa, President of BPI Mr. Salem Kalmoni, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko, and the Chairman of the NAP Technical Committee and CEO of Ghana Mental Health Authority, Dr Akwasi Osei among other representatives of relevant stakeholders. The launch and the initial printing of copies of the National Alcohol Policy was funded by the Baraka Policy Institute (BPI).