Ghana: Movendi Members Advocate for Alcohol Taxes
Heart-driven Movendi International members in Ghana along with the National Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Alliance are advocating for increase in alcohol taxes.
NCDs such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, and mental ill-health account for over 80,000 deaths in Ghana annually.
Alcohol use is one of the major risk factors for NCDs along with tobacco use, unhealthy diet, lack of physical exercise and air pollution.
In an interview, Mr. Labram Musah, the National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance and part of the Movendi International Member Organization, Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), called on the government to increase the taxes on these commodities to discourage their use.
Participants of a two-day workshop, including medical practitioners, paramedics, and traditional rulers, expressed concern about the lack of prominence given to NCDs as an obstacle to development. They also called for policy-makers and civil society organizations to work in partnership to tackle NCDs as significant obstacle to growth and development in Ghana.
…we are calling on taxes on these commodities especially to protect the young, poor and the vulnerable in the society. Because it’s a big problem,” said Dr. Beatrice Wiafe, Chairperson of the Ghana NCD Alliance, as per Modern Ghana.