As the world marks International Youth Day, Ghana’s Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment has launched a nationwide research initiative to confront the growing menace of opioid abuse among young people.

In collaboration with the RNAQ Foundation, the Ministry has committed five hundred thousand Ghana cedis (GHS 500,000) to the fight.

Speaking to JoyNews at the presentation ceremony, the Sector Minister, George Opare Addo, said Ghana faces a significant challenge in addressing the crisis, as the underlying causes remain unclear. He explained that a comprehensive national report has been commissioned to investigate the causes of opioid abuse, with the aim of reducing the threat to the barest minimum.

“It’ll go a long way because the research alone is costing us about 400,000, and so I believe strongly that the 500,000 is more than enough to pay for the research. What we intend to do is to expand the scope of the work we've given to the research group. This was a bit limited in scope because we were not funded. But now that organizations like RNAQ have come on board, it gives us a much bigger space to do more things. And so we'll expand the scope. He’s researching in all 16 regions, we can make him increase the sample size so that we get a better understanding of the problem,” he said.

The CEO of RNAQ Foundation, Richard Nii Armah Quaye, expressed concern over the rising threat, describing it as a national canker. As a young entrepreneur employing over 4,000 youth, he emphasized his commitment to working closely with the Ministry to find lasting solutions.

“I have seen what is happening. In fact, I am a pan-Africanist and a multinational businessman as well. I have business interests in most African countries. So I could see from experience how the abuse of opioids and drug abuse is affecting a lot of youth in some African countries, especially Sierra Leone. I think that our country is also on the path of taking the same trajectory and this is something that we cannot sit aside unconcerned.

I think that is a national threat to all of us. The youth of this country is our goldmine. The economic fortunes of our country depend on the youth as well. So it is very important that we take a significant and important look at this situation. And so we have come here to do a presentation of 500,000 to the Ministry today. This is actually to show our commitment and support to the Ministry in the fight against opioid abuse and rape,” he stated.

The fight against opioid abuse, under the campaign banner “Red Means Stop,” is ongoing.

With the newly commissioned research now expanded to cover all 16 regions of the country, authorities are optimistic that the findings will guide stronger interventions to safeguard Ghana’s youth.