Coalition steps up efforts to reduce drug use at Agona Swedru

Agona West Coalition for Development, a non-profit organisation, has stepped up efforts towards reducing the use of illicit drugs among the youth at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.

Since its establishment about two years ago, the coalition, in collaboration with the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), has intensified the campaign in schools and through radio discussions against illicit drug use particularly among the youth.

According to information gathered by the Daily Graphic, Swedru had gained notoriety for the usage of drugs such as cocaine and marijuana popularly referred to as ‘wee’.

There are several camps in the town where the youth visit to have access to these drugs.

The resultant effect is that it has led to insecurity in the town since residents cannot use certain routes particularly at night as there is the tendency of being robbed, especially at night, by some users who have become criminals.

Courtesy call

The Chairman of the coalition, Nana Kweku Essieni V, disclosed this when he led his team and officials from the funding agency, Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) and the Philip Foundation Programme to pay a courtesy call on the new Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, Mrs Justina Marigold Assan.

The objective of the meeting was for the coalition to brief the new Munipal Chief of Executive (MCE) about the activities of the coalition, gains made so far in the fight against the use of illicit drugs in the municipality, as well as to solicit the assembly’s continuous support in their operations.

The coalition is being funded by CADCA and is operating in the municipality on behalf of the Philip Foundation Programme in Ghana.

Nana Essieni said in an effort to reduce the situation to the barest minimum, anti-drug clubs had been formed in some basic and Senior High Schools (SHSs) whose members would serve as peer educators to their colleagues in the fight against drug use.

He mentioned the beneficiary schools as Presbyterian Basic School, St Anthony Catholic Basic School, Methodist Basic School, Holy Quran Basic School and Agona West Municipal Assembly Basic School, all in Agona Swedru and Nyakrom SHS.

He added that so far, about 4,200 children in the beneficiary schools had been sensitised to the negative effects of illicit drug use while efforts were being put in place to expand their activities to other schools.

According to Nana Essieni, who is also the Nifahene of Agona Swedru, the coalition had been able to help about 37 young people to stop using drugs.

Philip Foundation

The Executive Director of the Philip Foundation Programme, Mr Philip Boateng Mensah, said drug use had become an international problem operated by cartels across the world.

He noted that the drug cartels had managed to corrupt governments who had failed to clamp down on their operations.

Mr Mensah, who is also the Country Director of CADCA, noted that the fight against drug use could not be done alone by government, hence there was the need for concerted efforts towards tackling the menace across the world, stressing that: ‘The demand for drugs is on the increase in the world due to lack of sustainable efforts by successive governments.’

MCE

For her part, Mrs Assan commended the coalition and its partners for their concerted efforts towards preventing the use of hard drugs in Swedru and its environs.

She admitted that it was an open secret that the town was well noted for illicit drug business and use and pledged to offer the necessary support to the coalition in its quest to reduce drug use and crime in the municipality.

She pointed out that the assembly would liaise with the District Police Command to flush out drug peddlers in the municipality.