The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has advised students across the country to shun drug abuse and focus on their education for a secure future.

He described substance use among the youth as a growing national tragedy threatening Ghana’s human capital development.

Speaking at the 8th NABIA Co-Sponsored Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the Navrongo Senior High School (NAVASCO), Dr Apaak said the government was deeply concerned about the rising cases of substance abuse among students and called for collective efforts to end it.

He noted that drugs such as “red pills,” Tramadol, marijuana, shisha, and codeine mixtures were silently destroying the dreams of many young people.

“Drugs are turning our youth into slaves. We cannot fail this generation. True strength lies in self-control, discipline, and purpose,” he said.

The event was held on the theme: “Countering Drug Abuse: Measures and Strategies Towards Effective Teaching and Learning for Building Ghana’s Human Capital”.

Dr Apaak urged parents, teachers, and community leaders to play active roles in combating the drug menace, saying, “The fight against drug abuse must be multifaceted and collaborative. It cannot be left to schools alone.”

He commended NAVASCO for its foresight in addressing drug abuse, stressing that Ghana’s future depended on protecting and nurturing its youth.

Delivering the keynote address, a Psychiatrist at the Presbyterian Hospital in Bolgatanga, Dennis Bomansang Daliri, expressed grave concern over the increasing rate of substance abuse among Ghanaian youth.

Citing findings from the Narcotics Control Commission, he revealed that experimentation with drugs begins as early as age 12, saying, “This trend poses a great threat to effective teaching and learning, as drug abuse undermines concentration, discipline, and academic performance.”

He illustrated the danger through real-life stories of once-celebrated Ghanaian musicians who lost their talent, fame, and health due to substance abuse.

“Their stories remind us that talent without discipline leads to destruction. Drug addiction spares no one; it destroys the poor, the rich, the educated, and the uneducated alike,” he stated.

Dr Daliri emphasised that “Tramadol, which many youth take for energy, causes seizures, liver failure, and dependency. Cannabis impairs memory and judgment and makes people very poor in mathematics. Take it from a psychiatrist, it’s true,” he cautioned.

He further explained that psychologically, drug abuse weakens willpower, erodes confidence, and fosters depression, anxiety, and hallucinations, and called on the youth to desist from engaging in illicit drug that had the potential to impair their future.

The Paramount Chief of the Sagnarigu Traditional Area and Guest of Honour Sagnari Naa Ambassador Yakubu Abdulai, bemoaned the scourge of trafficking and rampant abuse of opioids and all manner of psychotropic substances as alarming in various communities.

He called on the government and all stakeholders to intensify the fight against drug abuse to save the future of the youth.

The Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area, Pe Dennis Aneakwoa Balinia Adda Asagpaare II, said the choices the youth make today determine their future and urged students to be disciplined, desist from drug use and related activities, and focus primarily on their academics.

Master Atambeogo Abraham Awinyangit, Senior Prefect of the school, pledged, on behalf of the student body, that they would remain disciplined and uphold the school’s image.