WAAPA’s Global Alcohol Action Plan Advocacy Tour in Sierra Leone 22rd – 26th January 2024
At a CSO’s workshop on the Global Alcohol Action Plan in Sierra Leone, Mr. Alhassan Jalloh; National Coordinator of Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Alliance (SLAPA) gave a brief presentation of SLAPA’s progress of which Mr. Issah Ali; Head of WAAPA Secretariat noted the great achievement recorded in Sierra Leone through the adoption and launch of the National Alcohol Policy.
Mr Ali at the workshop highlighted the key elements of the “African Regional Framework for implementing the Global Alcohol Action Plan, 2022-2030”. He threw more light on the current situation on alcohol, issues and challenges, vision, goal, objectives, targets of the framework, guiding principles, priority intervention and actions of implementing the framework of the Global Alcohol Action Plan (GAAP) 2022-2030 in the WHO African Region.
Mr. Ali highlighted that Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence-producing properties and accounts for 5.1% of all deaths in the African Region. He added that there is a high level of lifetime abstainers of 57.5% of which persons who drink alcohol consumes high volumes, he noted that some issues and challenges faced included lack of national alcohol control policies, lack of national inter-sectorial coordination body on alcohol control, Weak health care systems and interferences from the alcohol industry. He added that the Vision and Goal of the African Regional Framework is to have an African Region free from the harmful use of alcohol (free from alcohol harm) and to significantly reduce morbidity, disability and mortality due to alcohol consumption in the African Region by 2030.
He noted that the objective of the Regional Framework is to increase implementation and enforcement of high-impact policies options and interventions through legislation/regulations, while some guiding principles are Evidence-based approach, empowering of people and communities, human rights approach and protection from commercial interests. Mr. Ali concluded by stating that some priority interventions and actions of the framework included the establishment of partnerships and multi-sectorial coordination mechanism, development of multi-sectorial alcohol harm reduction policies.
Mrs Boi Jeneh Jalloh; SLAPA Head of Secretariat presented the key elements of the Sierra Leone’s National Alcohol Policy and the draft Action Plan on activities expected to undertake and how important those activities would position SLAPA to implement its National Alcohol Policy.
As part of the meeting WAAPA Secretariat and members of SLAPA board engaged the World Health Organization (WHO) Sierra Leone Country Office on the implementation of the National Alcohol Policy (NAP) and the African Regional Implementation Framework on GAAP in Sierra Leone.
After the two-day’s capacity building workshop with members of the Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Alliance on key elements of Alcohol Control Legislations, Global Alcohol Action Plan, SAFER Model, Best Buys, Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health, etc in Freetown, Sierra Leone the Head of WAAPA Secretariat; Mr. Issah Ali met with the newly elected WAAPA Chairperson Mrs Boi-Jeneh Jalloh; of which they discussed general issues covering WAAPA’s operations, structure, programs and initiatives including engagement with African Union (AU) CDC, strengthening WAAPA’s Research Committee, establishing the African Alcohol Policy Alliances (AApA) and implementing the recommendations of the 2023 GAPC African Group etc.
