Preventing Alcohol Harm is central to the achievement of African Regional Multi-sectorial Strategy to Promote Health and Well-Being 2023
The West African Alcohol Policy Alliance (WAAPA) at the 2023 WHO Regional Committee for Africa supported the adoption of the ‘Regional Multi-sectorial Strategy to Promote Health and Well-Being, 2023-2030 in the WHO African Region’.
Mr. Issah Ali, Head of Secretariat of West African Alcohol Policy Alliance (WAAPA), noted that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) prioritized Good Health and Well-being with target 3.5 calling on Member States to strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including harmful use of alcohol.
The objective one of this strategy he emphasized is ‘To empower individuals and communities to take control of their health and well-being by promoting community engagement, participation, and ownership in the promotion of healthy communities, as well as promoting individual responsibility for health through education and awareness-raising’.
He congratulated WHO on the occasion of the strategy, and humbly called upon the WHO ARFO Secretariat’s attention on the role of alcohol harm in contributing to Africa’s high death rates from road traffic injuries and the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases affecting the general health and well-being of the population in Africa.
Mr. Ali affirmed that, when the population and consumers in the region are well informed and unhealthy commodities including alcohol are highly regulated, progress will be recorded in the region and he further urge Member States as a matter of urgency to operationalize and strengthen the implementation of Section 28 of this Strategy on financing mechanism.
He also called on Member States to ensure sustainable allocation of funds through budgetary allocations to implement this strategy and the Global Alcohol Action Plan at the national and regional levels for better Health for all in the African Region.
