A GNA Feature by Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R), Oct 5, GNA – At the bustling markets of Keta, Anloga, Akatsi, Agbozume, Aflao and Ho, and along the busy Aflao-Accra highway through Dzodze, Denu and Dabala, hawkers sell more than the fish, cloth and foodstuffs the Volta Region is known for. Tucked among their trays are tablets, capsules, syrups and herbal concoctions, sold without prescription, licence, or knowledge of their contents.
This is “medicine in the streets”-a widespread but under-reported practice across the Volta Region and the country, in which untrained persons sell drugs to commuters, traders and residents at markets, lorry stations and along major roads.
GNA checks found the practice pervasive and common in many major market centres in the region, and driven by economic hardship, for instance, the nature of Aflao’s border dynamics, and a healthcare system many still find too expensive, distant or slow.
The law and enforcement
Under the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), and rules enforced by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Pharmacy Council, only licensed pharmacies, chemical sellers and registered health facilities may sell medicines. Street hawking is prohibited, with offenders facing prosecution, fines, imprisonment and seizure of goods- yet the trade persists.
Mr Gorden Akurugu, FDA Head for the Volta and Oti Region, said Section 122 of Act 851 bars importing medicines, herbal products, medical devices or chemicals without a permit, and that medicines may only legally enter Ghana through Kotoka International Airport and Tema Harbour, not land borders. He noted penalties of up to 25 years’ imprisonment, backed by multi-agency operations involving the FDA, Customs, the National Investigations Bureau, the Narcotics Control Commission and National Security.
Where and what is sold
The trade thrives at Dabala Junction, Sogakope bus stop, the Aflao border enclave, the Aflao-Accra and Ho-Aflao highways, Dzodze and Denu markets, church programmes, funerals, festivals such as Hogbetsotso, and increasingly door-to-door and on social media.
Products sold include painkillers like paracetamol and diclofenac, antibiotics such as amoxicillin and ampicillin, antimalarials, cough syrups, multivitamins, contraceptives, herbal “aphrodisiac” concoctions, and — more worryingly — opioid painkillers and tramadol, some reportedly entering through the Aflao border and fuelling concern about youth drug abuse.
Why people sell
GNA investigations trace the practice to poverty and unemployment, especially where fishing and farming are vulnerable to coastal erosion and seasonal disruption.
Madam Adzo Amedeka (not her real name), a 35-year-old single mother of four selling drugs at Aflao market without authorisation, said she buys in bulk from local pharmacies and sometimes smuggles supplies from Togo through bush routes. She has been in the business over ten years and uses it to support her family.
She said cost and limited access to orthodox healthcare also push people into the trade. Despite hospitals and licensed drug stores, residents in remote coastal and inland communities face long travel distances, occasional shortages, and out-of-pocket costs, driving them toward cheaper roadside alternatives.
The FDA and Pharmacy Council have been tasked with periodic raids, public education, and better logistics for personnel to curb hawking near Aflao and punish offenders as a deterrent.
A deep-rooted culture of self-medication and low health literacy also sustains the trade, as many see no difference between buying paracetamol from a pharmacy or a hawker. Aflao’s porous border further enables entry of unregistered and smuggled medicines that reach markets as far as Keta and Anloga, complicating efforts to trace their origin.
Effects
Risks include wrong dosage, expired or counterfeit drugs, since hawkers rarely store medicine properly or give accurate instructions, exposing buyers to ineffective treatment, adverse reactions and poisoning.
Madam Margaret Dovlo, Health Promotion Officer at the Keta Municipal Health Directorate, said indiscriminate antibiotic sales without prescription fuel antibiotic resistance-a global health emergency undermining essential medicines for entire communities. She noted that deaths and long-term disability from drug misuse, allergic reactions, and delayed diagnosis have reportedly occurred in several districts.
She added that the trade costs the state tax revenue, undercuts licensed pharmacies with counterfeit and smuggled products, erodes public trust, and spreads health misinformation through unverified claims by untrained hawkers.
Who is most at risk
Madam Dora Kugbonu, Health Promotion Officer in the Anloga District, said pregnant women risk drugs harmful to foetal development, children and infants risk incorrect dosage, and the elderly-especially in areas with limited transport- risk dangerous drug interactions from self-medication.
Low-income households far from licensed pharmacies rely on hawkers by default, while people managing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension risk complications from inconsistent treatment when cutting costs. She urged the public to visit health centres rather than self-medicate, warning of severe sickness or death, and noted that medicines exposed to heat outside proper storage conditions can also become dangerous.
Perceived advantages
The trade offers convenience in underserved communities, affordability for low-income households, livelihoods for hawkers (many of them women), and quick relief for minor ailments without travel delays. It fills gaps in remote areas the formal health system has yet to reach-though experts insist these perceived benefits don’t outweigh the risks.
The way forward
Preventing unauthorised drug sales will require sustained, multi-pronged action: regular, well-resourced raids at markets, lorry stations and the Aflao border; expanded public education in Ewe on the dangers of unregulated drugs; extending the National Health Insurance Scheme and improving drug availability at hospitals to remove cost incentives; formalising vetted sellers into licensed chemical shops; and mobile hotlines for reporting illegal sellers.
Government and health authorities should deploy mobile FDA and Pharmacy Council enforcement teams focused on Aflao and major markets, fast-track prosecutions, roll out community pharmacy licensing, intensify sensitisation through radio, churches and durbars, strengthen collaboration between Assemblies, police and health regulators, and invest in supply-chain technology such as barcoding to trace counterfeit medicines.
Stakeholders respond
Police in Keta, Anloga and Abor, alongside town councils and environmental authorities, have pledged to remove unauthorised sellers to protect community health.
Togbi Tenge Dzokoto Gligui VII, Paramount Chief of the Amugo-Vego Traditional Area, cautioned chiefs under his jurisdiction against entertaining uncertified medicine or herbal dealers.
Mr Christopher Mensah, Presiding Member of the Keta Municipal Assembly, said Assemblies across the Volta Region have by-laws banning illegal drug sales, warning that offenders will face the full rigour of the law. He urged residents to report culprits without fear or favour.
As Ghana pursues Universal Health Coverage, the persistence of roadside medicine hawking underscores that access, affordability and enforcement must move together. Until these systemic gaps close, experts warn, trays of tablets moving through Volta’s markets and roads will remain a familiar and dangerous feature of daily life.
GNA
Edited by: Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Oct 5, 2026