Ghana’s Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has issued an urgent appeal to tackle what she described as a worrying spike in drug misuse among the nation’s young people. Speaking during a working visit to the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment in Accra, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said protecting children from early exposure to harmful substances must be a national priority.
Accompanied by Chief of Staff, Alex Percival Segbefia, she engaged with ministry officials on a broad range of youth-related issues , from employment and migration to education and health, underscoring the complex challenges facing Ghana’s next generation.
She lamented the exploitation of young Ghanaians, particularly those seeking opportunities at home and abroad, urging collective action to safeguard their wellbeing. “People being sent out should have the right protections. Somebody should be holding their back,” she said, emphasising the need for community cooperation. “We don’t want to read stories about people being locked up, unfed or denied decent living conditions.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also praised the ministry’s strides in gender inclusion and called for focused interventions for vulnerable youth at risk of substance abuse, violence and mental health issues. She stressed the value of evidence-based responses, saying robust impact tracking would help sustain and scale successful programmes.
