Tamale, May 19, GNA – Youth Against Drugs (YAD), a youth focused project, has been launched in Tamale by the Active Youth Global (AYG) in collaboration with Total Life Enhancement Centre, Ghana (TOLEC Ghana).
The project seeks to raise awareness on the risks associated with illicit drugs on human health among the youth.
The year-long project, which would end in March 2023, also seeks to mentor youth against drug abuse and giving them experts’ information on drugs to empower them to serve as peer educators.
It is being implemented within the Tamale Metropolis and Sagnarigu Municipality in the Northern region, the North East and Savannah regions.
Miss Rahama Issah, Executive Director of Active Youth Global, at the launch of the project, said 40 Senior High Schools within the three regions would be engaged as part of the project.
Ms Issah said it would also engage trade unions, tricycle riders and other youth, who were prone to being influenced to abuse drugs.
She said drug addicts had wrong information about certain drugs, which called for the need to provide them with the right information so they could refrain from drug abuse.
Professor Baba Sulemana Mohammed, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, University for Development Studies, said drug abuse was a public health concern given that the youth were actively involved.
He lauded the project and said it would help caution prospective drug abusers and give attention to the well-being of the youth.
Mr Peter Amadu Mintir, Executive Director of TOLEC Ghana, said the project prioritised improving mental health of students by creating awareness on the hazards of drug abuse in the targeted population.
He added that “the development and implementation of the project shall respect the principles of equality, non-discrimination and access to information.”
GNA