By Sahid Bangura
The West Africa Alcohol Policy Alliance (WAAPA) has ended a two-day training session at the esteemed Robert Hall conference room located in Freetown On January 24, 2024. The training session was jointly initiated by the Foundation for Rural and Urban Transformation (FoRUT) and WAAPA in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Allowance (SLAPA).
The organization exclusively concentrates on the prevention and regulation of alcohol consumption through efficient policies and programs. Alhassa Jalloh head of programmes of the Foundation for Rural and Urban Transformation (FoRUT) organization explained to percipients that the training session will center on providing an in-depth understanding of the African Regional Framework for implementing the Global Alcohol Action Plan from 2022 to 2030.
According to him, Issa Ali an expert from Ghana, who has been training different civil societies organizations on Tobacco and alcohol intake prevention across the West Africa region will thrilled representatives throughout the 2 -days.
He added that the experts will also provide training to members of the Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy and Alliance (SLAPA) from various districts on the World Health Organization’s Safer Initiative for Regional Alcohol Activation.
Alhassan further stated that the second day of the season will focus on the development of the Alcohol Drug Scale Indicator and discuss the National Alcohol Policy, examining its key elements and policy statements.
Following the training session, the coordinator stated that members of WAAPA and SLPA will be meeting with the Minister of Health and Sanitation to formally introduce WAAPA and seek the ministry’s support in implementing the National Alcohol Policy. Issa Ali, the head of the secretariat at the African Regional Framework for Implementing the Global Alcohol Action Plan, expressed that his visit aims to assist members in developing a plan for 2024, which should have been implemented last year.
According to him, SLPA has already embraced the 2019-2022 national alcohol policy and is now focusing on its implementation. Ali explained that the Ministry of Health possesses numerous policies, but they will ensure that theirs can be effectively executed.
He further emphasized that members cannot claim to be alcohol policy influencers without acquainting themselves with the latest official documents. Consequently, he will distribute these new documents to members, aiding them in determining the appropriate course of action.
He clarified that Alcohol is a poisonous and mind-altering substance with addictive properties, and it accounts for 5.1% of all fatalities in the Africa Region. In 2010, the WHO Regional Committee for Africa officially supported the initiative to decrease the detrimental consumption of alcohol.
