The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has expressed concern over the increasing misuse of drugs among young people.

Speaking during a working visit to the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment in Accra yesterday, she said it had become even more crucial to protect children from early exposure to harmful substances.

The visit was part of a broader engagement with key ministries to understand their challenges and support their needs.

She had earlier visited the ministries of Education, Health, Gender, Children, and Social Protection.

Prof Opoku-Agyemang was accompanied by the Chief of Staff in her office, Alex Percival Segbefia, along with other staff.

She was received by the sector Minister, George Opare Addo, together with management, staff and heads of agencies under the ministry

Issues

The Vice-President discussed employment and labour migration, stressing the need for dignity, respect and protection for young people, particularly women involved in domestic and overseas work.

She condemned exploitative labour arrangements and pledged the government’s commitment to ensure proper safeguards for those seeking opportunities abroad.

“People being sent out should have the right protections. Somebody should be holding their back,” she said.

She called for public cooperation to protect vulnerable citizens, saying, “We don’t want to read stories about people being locked up, unfed or denied decent living conditions,” stressing that protecting vulnerable citizens is a shared responsibility between the government and the public.

She urged greater cooperation to prevent exploitation and abuse.

Commendation

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended the ministry for going beyond the traditional 30 percent affirmative action benchmark to achieve 50 percent representation, describing the move as “very impressive,” and urged the ministry to sustain its inclusive approach.

She commended the ministry for making a conscious effort to ensure that young women are not sidelined in youth-focused policies.

The Vice-President stressed that youth issues cut across all sectors of national life, including education, health, agriculture, industry and security.

She assured the ministry of the government’s support in working with other state institutions, emphasising that governance should not be about territorial boundaries but about collective national impact.

While acknowledging the ministry’s focus on students and young people in formal education, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged the ministry to pay equal attention to vulnerable youth who are out of school, including young people working in markets, on the streets or struggling to support families.

She called for targeted interventions for those “falling through the cracks,” particularly in relation to drug abuse, violence and mental health challenges.

She further urged the ministry to prioritise tracking and impact studies to measure the effectiveness of youth interventions over time.

According to her, this evidence-based assessment would help the government sustain and expand successful programmes.

She encouraged collaboration with researchers and academic institutions to track beneficiaries and long-term outcomes.

“When we are able to measure impact, then we know how to sustain and how to extend,” she said.

Data

The minister said recent research conducted by the Global Info Analytics in some tertiary institutions, including nursing training, teacher training, technical universities and traditional universities, revealed that 41 percent of tertiary students and 37 percent of second-cycle students were aware of substance abuse on their campuses.

He said data further showed that drug use often began early, with 26 percent of respondents under 15 getting to know about substances on school campuses, while 41 percent reported first use between ages 16 and 17.

Mr Opare-Addo said alcohol emerged as the most commonly abused substance, followed by cannabis-infused edibles, shisha, cigarettes and prescription drugs.

He said alarmingly that seven percent of students reported awareness of cocaine use and five percent of heroin use on campuses.

He added that mental health challenges were also flagged as a growing concern, with depression and anxiety linked to lifestyle pressures, peer influence and betting activities.