By Lamin Njie
The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) unit under the Ministry of Health (MOH) recently concluded a two-day validation workshop of the draft National Alcohol Policy held at the Halahin Lodge in Kartong.
The policy seeks to address the important issues of underage consumption of alcohol as well as irresponsible and excessive drinking by adults. The Ministry of Health and its partners will thus be adopting a multi-dimensional policy approach to holistically address this reality and further improve the well-being of our society.
In his opening remarks, Programme Manager of NCD, Mr Omar Badjie, described the validation as timely, taking into account the amount of excessive consumption of alcohol among the youths in the country.
“As we all know, alcohol is a big issue in this country, especially in this current generation. If you go to the Greater Banjul Area, especially around the Tourism Development Area (TDA) you will see a lot of young boys and girls engaging in the usages of alcohol,” he reported.
Mr.Badjie further mentioned that most of the accidents recently happening on the roads are as a result of drivers being under the influence of alcohol. He further stated that the policy would be a guide for everyone in the country on the usage of alcohol.
Mr Alagie Janneh of the Alcohol Policy Gambia expressed his organisation’s commitment to working towards the reduction of alcohol usage in the country. He said alcohol usage in the country is becoming a concern to the authorities and together, it can be controlled.
