The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, is holding a 3-day validation workshop on National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP).
The workshop, which ends tomorrow, is expected to validate and adopt the draft master plan, aimed at protecting and improving the well-being of the society and individuals with regard to illicit drugs.
The master plan would also protect and promote public health, offer a high level of security of the general public.
Rationale
The draft document sighted by The Chronicle said the development of the NDCMP 2022-2030 is a continuity and advancement in the government of Ghana’s efforts towards addressing the narcotic drug situation in a comprehensive, integrated and multidisciplinary manner.
The document further states that the NDCMP seeks to conceptualize and develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing the complex challenges associated with narcotic drug production, cultivation, trafficking, sale, distribution and use in the country.
Policy Context
The NDCMP draws policy direction from the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) and it has been developed to link or complement other national, regional and global strategies, including the National Security Strategy 2020, African Union plan of action on drug control (2019-2023), and the convention on psychotropic substance of 1971.
Strategic Pillars
The NDCMP is hinged on eight strategic pillars namely; supply reduction, demand reduction, harm reduction, cooperation and collaboration. The rest are; research, capacity building, sustainability and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
Stakeholders who are participating in the workshop include the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana AIDS Commission, Non-Governmental Organisations, and Civil Society Organisations.
Innovative Blueprint
Speaking at the opening of the workshop yesterday, the Acting Director General of NACOC, Mr. Kenneth Adu-Amanfoh said the NDCMP has been developed as an innovative blueprint document to effectively deal with the contemporary national problem of substance abuse.
The Acting Director General opined that it takes an integrated, balanced and multidisciplinary approach to deal with the drugs phenomena at national, regional and international levels.
“The NDCMP is first and foremost based on the fundamental principles of National Drug Prevention Law, Narcotic Control Commission Act 2020 (Act 1019) and in every regard, upholds the fundamental values of the people of Ghana: respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, solidarity, the rule of law and human rights,” he asserted.
According to MrAmanfoh, drug abuse is a national and international issue that needs to be addressed in a global context by a variety of stakeholders.
He added that the document provides a common elaborated and comprehensive framework for responding in consistent manner to the drugs phenomenon throughout Ghana.
It was the hope of the NACOC Boss that the implementation of the NDCMP would help to reduce the supply, the craving and use of illicit drugs and attendant health problems.
Interior Minister
In a speech read by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Interior, Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi, on behalf of the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, stated that the NDCMP will improve public health and security for everyone living in Ghana by ensuring that both drug demand and supply reductions strategies go hand in hand with sustainable development strategies.
He added that drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking is a transnational organised crime which required resolute efforts from all stakeholders both local and international to deal with.
Concluding, he said that considering the background and expertise of stakeholders present at the workshop, he had no doubt that the three days deliberations will shape the draft master plan into a document that will guide strategic policies and activities in dealing with the drug menace in the country.
Concerted Effort
Delivering a statement on behalf of the Board Chairman of NACOC, a member of the board, Aba Jackline, said to implement and achieve the objectives of the NDCMP, concerted effort was required from stakeholders who are policy makers, planners and specifically implementers to eradicate drug-related harms in communities.
However, she added that with “the unwavering commitment of all stakeholders, effective prevention, treatment and control of drug-related problems could become a reality in Ghana.”
ECOWAS Commission
The ECOWAS permanent representative in Ghana, Ambassador Baba Gana Wakil, in a statement indicated that the NDCMP serves as an operational tool to provide a coherent framework for more comprehensive national drug prevention and control measures.
He pledged the continuous commitment of the ECOWAS to member states to address drug-related issues.
Ambassador Wakil remarked that he had “no doubt that the outcome of the workshop and the validated plan will serve as an impetus to re-doubling our efforts at the national and regional levels to tackle the drug menace.”
