The National Peace Council has warned that the spread of drug and substance abuse among young people could deny Ghana responsible future leaders and undermine the country’s development.

Prof. Mark Boadu, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the Council, said urgent action was needed to help students avoid drugs and concentrate on education, sports and other activities that could improve their future.

“If drug abuse continues and spreads further as it is going, then what are we leaving for our future leaders and what are we leaving behind?” he quizzed.

He was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Eastern Regional Inter-School Peace and Substance Abuse Semi-Finals and Finals Quiz Competition at the Koforidua Technical University.

The competition formed part of the 2026 International Peace Day celebration under the theme: “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday: Empowering Young Minds to Build a Culture of Peace.”

Prof. Boadu explained that the event marked the final stage of a three-month peace project involving about 64 senior high schools across the Eastern Region.

The initiative, described as the “Save Peace” project, used quizzes and school-level activities to educate students about drug use, substance abuse, peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

“We believe that when the schools are safe, we won’t have conflict between students and between schools, and we can have peace,” he stated.

Prof. Boadu said a peaceful school environment, would allow students to study effectively and work towards becoming the people they wanted to be.

Twelve schools qualified for the semi-final and final stages of the competition.

Prof. Boadu said their performance showed that the students had prepared well and understood the issues affecting peace and safety on school campuses.

He noted that even schools in lower positions recorded scores as high as 80 out of 120, demonstrating the strong level of competition.

He urged parents, teachers, communities and public institutions to support young people in pursuing their goals and developing good character.

“No one has ever abused bad drugs and had something good come out of it. They [youth] should stay away from it,” he cautioned.

“Moving away from drugs is one of the best things we can give them,” Boadu said, adding that Ghana’s young people must be prepared to make sound decisions and contribute to national development.