Drug problem still a critical national issue - Okaija

Accra (Greater Accra) 1st June ?99

Nii Okaija Adamafio, Minister of the Interior, on Monday noted that the problem of drug abuse and illicit trafficking is still a critical issue in the country despite the war the authorities are waging against drugs.

In the eyes of the international community Ghana is still very much a transit country for the trafficking of cocaine and heroin, he said.

Nii Okaija was speaking at the opening of a six-day workshop in Accra on the formulation of a national action plan on drug control.

Twenty-seven participants, drawn from some security agencies, including the Police and Prison Services, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government agencies are attending the workshop.

It is being organised by the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) in collaboration with the African Anti-Drug Programme (AADP) and the European Union.

The European Commission in May 1997 signed a regional financing agreement amounting to 5.1 million Euro (13.2 billion cedis) with the aim of developing a regional drug control programme known as the AADP to cover the 16 ECOWAS countries.

AADP aims mainly at strengthening the West African states' drug control operational capacities in the areas of prevention, treatment rehabilitation, law enforcement and co-ordination. The first phase is to be implemented over a four-year period.

Nii Okaija noted that the use of the country as a transit point has created drug abuse problems in urban areas.

It is the expectation of the government that the national action plan that the workshop would formulate should respond to the drug situation in the country, he said.

The plan should include "practical programmes to reduce the demand for illicit drugs as well as a variety of appropriate interventions to promote the health and social well-being of individuals, families and communities affected by illicit drug trafficking and usage."

Mr Didier Hardy, Regional Co-ordinator of AADP, said the workshop, the first of its kind in Africa, shows Ghana's commitment to solving the drug problem.

The AADP provides for financial support to ECOWAS states for the formulation of anti drug action plans and their presentation to the donor community for financing.

Mr Hardy said, the human resource training, component has a budgetary allocation of about three billion cedis.

A budget of about 409 million cedis has been earmarked for the regional training centre for workshops on data collection.

A regional "drug prevention campaign" football tournament estimated at 400,000 Euro (one billion cedis) to be known as "African Cup for Youth Against Drugs", would be launched.

Mr Kofi Quantson, Executive Secretary of NCB, the problem calls for everyone's participation.