The Quiet Crisis: Why Ghana Must Confront Alcohol Abuse Now

Walk through any Ghanaian market, lorry station, or university halls on any day of the week, and you’ll see it: Akpeteshie (Apio, Ogogro, VC10, Sodabi, Kill Me Quick, Keka bi kyere wase, Efie Nipa, Ogyagba) in sachets, bitters lining pharmacy shelves, malt drinks with extra “kick,” branded beer and alcohol-based aphrodisiacs everywhere.

Alcohol is a psychoactive, addictive, carcinogenic drug. However, in Ghana, alcohol consumption has become so normalized that we now treat a dangerous drug like an ordinary beverage. The results are rising liver disease, youth binge drinking, road crashes, domestic violence, GHS 1.8B lost annually and the loss of lives. Alcohol is no longer a ceremonial drink. It has become a daily habit, a coping tool, and for many young Ghanaians, a rite of passage.

Consumption is rising fast, and the crisis is deepening fast. WHO 2024 estimates Ghana’s per capita alcohol consumption at 7.2 litres of pure alcohol a year, above the African average. That figure does not even fully capture illicit alcohol such as akpeteshie, which remains widespread and undercounted.

Unfortunately, the youth are the new face. A survey by the author on several SHS and university campuses in 2025 found 62% of students aged 18-24 had taken alcohol in the past 30 days. 38% reported binge drinking – (5+ drinks in one sitting). Ghana Health Services data shows alcohol-related liver disease admissions increased 41% between 2019 and 2024. Stroke, road traffic injuries, and domestic violence cases with alcohol involvement are up across all 16 regions. The Ministry of Health estimates GHS 1.8 billion lost annually to alcohol-related health care, lost productivity, and law enforcement. That’s more than our annual mental health budget.

Behind the statistics are families. Take a step back and digest the examples below:

A 23-year-old in Kumasi who started with bitters in SHS now has early cirrhosis.

A trotro driver in Accra who drinks to “stay awake” and kills 4 people in a crash.

A mother in Tamale was beaten because her husband came home drunk.

A university student who drops out after alcohol-fueled depression and debt.

WHAT GHANA MUST DO NOW
Let us be blunt: this is not a call for prohibition. Ghana has a culture of responsible drinking, and that need not be erased. What is needed now is a serious, coordinated response that treats alcohol as a regulated public health threat, not a casual consumer product.

Raise the cost of harm: Government must implement structural barriers, such as raising excise taxes on alcohol, banning alcohol advertising during youth television hours, and restricting the density of liquor stores in vulnerable neighbourhoods.

Put health first: Routine screening for alcohol use disorders should become part of standard medical checkups. Access to rehabilitation, counselling, and mental health support must be expanded and subsidized. Pharmacists should be trained to screen for alcohol risk during dispensing. Alcohol abuse is a health condition, not a moral weakness.

Start prevention early: Schools and community centers should run evidence-based prevention programs targeting youth, while public media campaigns reframe the societal narrative around binge drinking. GHS and media houses to promote “Dry Fridays” or “No-Alcohol Festivals” in schools, churches, and mosques. Celebrities who profit from alcohol advertising should also fund awareness campaigns.

Enforce the law without fear or favour: Police must carry out drunk-driving checkpoints consistently. Regulatory bodies should audit vendors and impose tough penalties for selling alcohol to minors. The FDA and the Police should form a joint task force to address illicit alcohol distribution and fast-track prosecutions.

Enforce Act 851: Alcohol sachets under 200ml must be banned. Sales to persons under 18 must be stopped and punished. High-alcohol bitters should be reclassified as alcoholic beverages and carry clear health warnings.

THE CHOICE BEFORE US
Ghana is building roads, digital systems, and new hospitals. But if we lose a generation to alcohol abuse, we lose the workforce to run them. There is proof that action works. Senegal reduced youth binge drinking by 19% in five years through sachet bans and school programmes. Rwanda made progress through community bylaws. Ghana can do the same — but only if it chooses courage over convenience.

The response must start now: parents who refuse to normalize underage drinking, shopkeepers who say no, pharmacists who ask the right questions, students who choose water over shots, and policymakers who finally enforce the laws already on the books.

Regulate alcohol as a dangerous drug with stricter distribution, availability, and marketing controls under Act 851. Ghana must remove sachets, restrict sales of high-alcohol products (aphrodisiacs/bitters), enforce 18+, ban youth-targeted ads, and embark on massive education and monitoring. This is not a prohibition. It is public health control.

Alcohol abuse doesn’t just damage organs and impact mental health. It destroys futures!

Prof. Victor Wutor
[email protected], +1 403 393 7174