“Government to Introduce Alcohol Control Regulations Bill in Parliament”
Ghana News Agency reports:
“The Government has announced plans to introduce an Alcohol Control Regulations Bill in Parliament to tighten rules on the advertisement and marketing of alcoholic beverages in the country.
“Speaking during a parliamentary leadership media briefing at Parliament House in Accra on Tuesday, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, said the proposed legislation seeks to protect public health, particularly among young people, by curbing excessive exposure to alcohol promotions.
“He explained that the bill, to be introduced by the Food and Drugs Authority, would set clear guidelines on how alcohol products could be marketed, including restrictions on broadcast times, sponsorships, and promotional activities that target vulnerable groups.
“‘This initiative is not about stifling business, but about safeguarding the wellbeing of our citizens,’ he noted.”
“Ghana Government Must Ban Alcohol in Sachet – VAST-Ghana”
Ghana News Agency reports:
“The Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development (VAST-Ghana) has called on the government to ban alcohol in sachet in Ghana, to safeguard public health, especially among children.
“It said, ‘These small, inexpensive, and easy-to-hide packages make high-strength alcohol (often 43 per cent or more) easily accessible to underage users, including school children who can conceal them in pockets.’
“It added, ‘This situation leads to alcohol abuse, addiction, physiological damage such as liver damage, even from small amounts, and long-term health problems, as early exposure is particularly harmful to developing bodies.'”
Other articles on the same topic
- Report reveals alarming alcohol consumption among Ghanaian adolescents (GBC Ghana Online)
- Government to Introduce Bill to Regulate Alcohol Advertising and Marketing (YEN.com.gh)
- Ghana aims to tighten rules on the advertisement and marketing of alcohol (Trendtype Africa)
- Ghana government urged to ban alcohol in sachet (Ghana Business News)
- Government to introduce Alcohol Control Regulations Bill in Parliament (GhanaWeb))
Assessment
These developments represent a significant step forward for alcohol policy in Ghana, driven by sustained civil society advocacy. The Ghana Alcohol Policy Alliance (GhanAPA), VAST-Ghana, and allied organisations have worked for years to translate the 2017 National Alcohol Policy into concrete action – and are slowly and finally seeing results. The government’s commitment to introduce an Alcohol Control Regulations Bill that includes limits on alcohol broadcast times, sponsorships, and promotional activities targeting vulnerable groups responds directly to evidence that over 12% of Ghanaian students aged 11–19 are active alcohol users.
The Shadow Report on Ghana’s implementation of the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan (2022–2030), launched by GhanAPA and the West African Alcohol Policy Alliance (WAAPA), provides the evidence base underpinning these policy moves. Professor Nuworza Kugbey’s research presented at the launch painted what experts described as an “alarming” picture of adolescent alcohol use, with about 13% of adolescents consuming alcohol in high-risk patterns.
VAST-Ghana’s call for a sachet alcohol ban is strategically timed, referencing both Nigeria’s enforcement efforts and Movendi International’s documentation of how the alcohol industry uses small packaging to target low-income populations. Executive Director Labram Musah, a member of the International Board of Movendi International, has framed the issue in terms of national security and human capital:
A nation that allows its children to be targeted by predatory marketing is a nation sacrificing its future.”
Labram Musah, Executive Director, VAST-Ghana
VAST-Ghana is urging the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to use its existing powers under Public Health Act 851 to ban sachet alcohol through administrative action, avoiding lengthy parliamentary debates “which the industry often uses to delay action.”
For alcohol policy advocates across Africa, Ghana offers an instructive model of how civil society can build from policy adoption to implementation. The country adopted a National Alcohol Policy in 2017 but has struggled with implementation. By producing locally generated evidence, engaging strategically with multiple ministries, and countering alcohol industry narratives, Ghanaian advocates have kept the pressure on and are now seeing concrete legislative action. The next months will be critical as the Alcohol Control Regulations Bill moves through Parliament – and as civil society pushes for the FDA to act on sachet alcohol as fast as possible.