By: Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development, Ghana (VAST-Ghana), has called on key stakeholders in the health and education sectors to impose an immediate ban on alcohol industry sponsorship of school-based and community activities.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, the non-governmental organisation urged the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to take decisive action to prohibit alcohol industry involvement in educational programmes and school events.
According to VAST-Ghana, such sponsorships contravene national policies and global best practices, including the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) SAFER Technical Package on reducing alcohol-related harm.
“The Ministry of Health, FDA, GES and GHS should intervene decisively to prohibit alcohol industry involvement in school-based education and campaigns,” the organisation stated.
The Executive Director of VAST-Ghana, Mr. Laram Musah, cautioned that alcohol companies often present themselves as corporate social responsibility actors to gain access to young people, normalise alcohol consumption and delay effective policy interventions.
He noted that these practices violate the FDA’s Guidelines on Advertisement of Regulated Products and undermine public health efforts to protect children and young people from alcohol-related harm.
“Despite claims of educating young people on risky behaviours, these programmes amount to greenwashing, downplaying the dangers of alcohol while promoting so-called ‘responsible drinking’ instead of abstinence,” the statement said.
VAST-Ghana highlighted the growing public health risks associated with alcohol consumption in Ghana. Data from the 2023 Ghana STEPS Survey indicate that 22.6 per cent of adults aged 18 to 69 are current alcohol users, including 14.1 per cent of young adults aged 18 to 29.
Among school-going adolescents aged 11 to 19, 12.6 per cent reportedly consume alcohol, with lifetime prevalence rates remaining significant in a country where minors constitute about 22.1 per cent of the population—approximately 6.8 million people.
The organisation further cited the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking among adults, which begins at about 1 per cent in the 18–29 age group. It noted that Ghana’s per capita alcohol consumption has risen from 1.46 litres in 1960 to 2.7 litres in 2016, with heavy drinkers consuming an average of 20 litres annually.
VAST-Ghana recommended the adoption of WHO guidelines on managing conflicts of interest in alcohol control policies, as well as the Movendi International framework for analysing alcohol industry-funded school programmes. It also called for the immediate suspension of all ongoing alcohol industry-led educational campaigns in schools.
Additionally, the organisation urged the development of comprehensive, evidence-based alcohol education programmes delivered exclusively by government health and education agencies, free from industry funding or influence. It stressed the need for effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to prevent alcohol industry infiltration in schools through sponsorships, donations or partnerships.
“These actions are consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 on good health and well-being and SDG 4 on quality education, and will help ensure a healthier and more equitable future for Ghanaian children,” the statement said.
VAST-Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to working with government institutions, development partners and communities to deliver credible, industry-free public education on alcohol and other health-harming products, including tobacco, energy drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages.
