Alcohol advocacy groups urge stricter policies in South Africa and Ghana

The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAPPA) in South Africa says weak enforcement of existing alcohol regulations is driving high rates of abuse, with an estimated 100 deaths per day. SAPPA, together with traditional leaders, organised a Community Alcohol Conservation campaign in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga, and urged the government to fully implement the Safer Initiative, the Global Action Plan and the National Drug Master Plan, and to regulate liquor outlets near schools and churches.

In Ghana, the public‑health group Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development (VAST Ghana) called for a ban on alcohol advertising and a comprehensive overhaul of the national alcohol policy. Citing WHO’s 2023 declaration that no level of alcohol consumption is safe, VAST highlighted that alcohol‑related non‑communicable diseases now account for about 45% of deaths in the country. The group presented five demands, including integrating alcohol‑harm prevention into the national NCD response, restricting marketing, expanding public education, shielding policy from industry influence and introducing health taxes with warnings.

Both organisations are pressing their governments to move from policy on paper to enforceable action to curb alcohol‑related harm.