The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised fresh concerns over the global dangers of alcohol consumption, revealing that the substance is responsible for three million deaths every year — equivalent to six deaths every six minutes.
According to WHO, alcohol has long been embedded in many cultures across the world, yet its impact on public health remains severe and far-reaching. It is tied to a range of diseases, injuries and preventable deaths. The organisation reports that alcohol is responsible for all alcohol-use disorders, 18% of suicides, 18% of interpersonal violence, 27% of traffic-related injuries, and 13% of epilepsy cases worldwide.
Additional health burdens linked to alcohol include 48% of liver cirrhosis cases, 26% of mouth cancers, 26% of pancreatitis, 20% of tuberculosis infections, 11% of colorectal cancers, 5% of breast cancer, and 7% of hypertensive heart disease.
These revelations were shared during the 2nd High-Level Stakeholders Meeting on the implementation of Ghana’s National Alcohol Policy (NAP 2016), organised by the Alcohol Policy Alliance–Ghana (GhanAPA) in Accra. The event was themed: “Harnessing the Reset Agenda to stimulate healthy lifestyle, reduce health risks and promote wellness through the passage of the draft National Alcohol Control Regulations in Ghana.”
The meeting brought together key institutions including the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Health Service, National Health Insurance Authority, Mental Health Authority, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority and the West African Alcohol Alliance.
GhanAPA expressed deep worry about rising alcohol-related harm in Ghana. The Mental Health Authority’s 2023 annual report recorded 3,765 alcohol-related mental health cases, alongside 5,554 cases linked to other psychoactive substances.
The 2023 STEPS survey also found that 22.6% of adults aged 18–69 consume alcohol, with usage higher among men (30.6%) than women (14.5%). A National Road Safety Authority study in 2014 further identified alcohol as a major contributor to road crashes nationwide.
Citing Ghana’s Reset Agenda and national health frameworks, GhanAPA reaffirmed its commitment to advancing policies aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm, including the National Health Policy 2020, the Non-Communicable Disease Policy 2022 and the National Alcohol Policy 2016.
Participants at the meeting called on the Ministry of Health and Parliament to fast-track the presentation and passage of the draft National Alcohol Control Regulation, stressing the need to protect public health policies from commercial influence. They also urged government institutions — including the Ministry of Finance — to allocate sustainable funding to ensure full implementation of the National Alcohol Policy.