Help us fight drug abuse - President to traditional leaders

President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to traditional leaders and other stakeholders, particularly religious leaders, to help the government deal with the substance menace currently plaguing the youth of the country.

He said the fight against drug abuse should not be left to the government alone, as the menace is one of the most urgent social and security challenges confronting the entire nation.

“The fight against drug abuse demands nothing less than our collective resolve.

With the traditional authorities guiding our people, with the government providing leadership and opportunity, and with citizens united in purpose, I am confident we can turn the tide,” he said.

Dumba festival

The President made the appeal in a message read for him by the Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, during the climax of this year’s Dumba Festival celebrated by the people of the Waala Traditional Area in the Upper West Region.

The festival, which climaxed on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, was on the theme: ’The Fight Against Drug Abuse: The Role of Traditional Authorities.’

The President was of the view that traditional leaders have a pivotal role to play in the fight as “you remain the conscience and custodians of our culture.

Chiefs, elders and opinion leaders command immense respect.

When you speak, your people listen.

When you lead, your people follow.”

Consequently, he called on the traditional leaders to “rise as sentinels of sobriety and join forces with government, religious leaders and civil society to combat this menace.

Together, let us protect our youth, safeguard our culture and build a Ghana of dignity, sobriety and prosperity.”

Action

The President said the drug abuse menace was slowly tightening its grip on communities and endangering the very generation “we rely upon to carry the torch of Ghana’s development.”

He, therefore, called on the traditional authorities to intensify community sensitisation on the dangers of drug abuse, to enforce community by-laws that discourage trafficking and peddling and to provide guidance, mentorship and hope to the youth, showing them the pathways to dignity and opportunity outside destructive habits.

“Together, we must send a clear and unified message that Ghana’s youth are not for sale to drugs and our future will not be mortgaged to addiction,” he stated.

He said the government remained resolute in its effort to strengthen law enforcement to dismantle drug syndicates and to prosecute offenders; expand rehabilitation and counselling services to restore victims of addiction into productive citizens and to create economic opportunities through initiatives such as the 24-Hour economy, industrial parks and youth entrepreneurship support to take young people away from idleness and despair.

Welcome address

In an address read for him by the Jinpenghi Naa Ibrahim Kadir, the overlord of the Waala Traditional Area, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, also decried the negative effect of drug abuse on the youth and the Waala traditional area.

He said the menace was eating at "the fabric of our communities, destroying lives and threatening our future.”

He called on his fellow traditional leaders, parents and leaders to “join hands with the government, religious bodies, schools and civil societies to save our youth from this menace.”

For him, a society that “loses its youth to drugs is a society that has mortgaged its tomorrow. We cannot allow that.”

Peace

Naa Pelpuo said the Wa traditional area was deeply worried about the conflicts between its neighbours, the Gonjas and Brifors, and called for peace.

He said the Waalas and Gonjas were close neighbours and brothers and shared history, values and concerns.

He, therefore, called for calm, restraint and dialogue and reminded them that “what unites us as neighbours is greater than what divides us.”

He urged the government, traditional leaders and opinion leaders to redouble efforts towards dialogue and reconciliation.

The Wa Traditional Council expressed concern about the recent increase in negative media coverage of the area. Naa Pelpuo appealed to the media to balance their reportage by highlighting the many positive stories of the people.

He said while every society has its challenges, the tendency to magnify only “our shortcomings, sends the wrong signals about us as a people and discourages potential investors and partners who might otherwise help in our development.”

He noted that the media were a powerful development partner and believed that when the media projected the good side of the region, “you inspire confidence, attract investment and strengthen the unity of our people.”

He asked the media to see themselves as ambassadors of the Waala state and to use their platforms to promote truth, dignity and progress.