By Abass Jalloh
Officials of Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Alliance (SLAPA) have discussed with partners the contents of a draft copy of the National Alcohol Policy, in a bid to validate the document.
They met in Freetown with representatives of ministries, departments, agencies, technical experts and stakeholders to evaluate various provisions contained in the document, for ratification and implementation.
The policy will provide comprehensive guidelines on how to respond to the socio-economic and health consequences of alcohol abuse in Sierra Leone, thereby reducing incidences of non-communicable diseases, according to SLAPA.
Discussions also focused on various topics including Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), Alcohol in relation to Children which encompasses psychosocial, mental and substance disorder, Health Service Delivery, and Poverty and Sustainable Development.
Participants stressed that it would be ideal for people doing alcohol businesses close to schools, to stop, and avoid the possibility of kids being influenced.
They noted that if an alcohol bar was already in an area prior to plans for construction of a school, then the facility should not be built in that area.
Calls were made for education guidelines that reinforce the alcohol policy that will be in line with the Sierra Leone Constitution.
On the Code of Conduct for teachers, the participants stated that teachers should not drink before, during, or around schools. It was also suggested that the authorities should prohibit the selling of alcohol during school programmes.
Sierra Leone has an alcohol policy that was established in 1924, which is older than the Alcohol Ordinance, according to the Chairman for SLAPA, Habib Taigore Kamara.
On the need for a new policy, Kamara said the previous one has become very old as it was established in 1914 and last got reviewed in 1927. The outdated policy qualified a 16-year-old to buy alcohol, but Kamara said anyone who may want to buy alcohol now must be 18 years and above.
He said since 2021 they have been engaging stakeholders in all the regions of Sierra Leone to validate the policy document.
There is a lot of proliferation of alcohol in Sierra Leone, he said, emphasizing that alcohol is now around schools.
“If we cannot proffer a solution on how to regulate it, we will have a very poor health system and could even affect the socioeconomic status of this country,” he said.
The Director of Medical Services at the Sierra Leone Police, Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim Jalloh, said the policy document is important to “combat the rapid proliferation of alcohol” and create a sane society.
“If we have a policy to curtail its (alcohol) use, that would be a better thing for this country,” Dr. Jalloh said.
Being a Police Officer and a Medical Practitioner, Dr. Jalloh said crime statistics is on the increase based on a perception survey, and cited the proliferation of a lot of cheaper alcohol now in the country as various types had been manufactured for public consumption.
“Within there should be some kind of law and policy that should curtail alcohol consumption in the country,” he said.
Dr. Jalloh emphasized that there has been recommendations in terms of taxation and where and what time to sell alcohol, “so the policy would definitely have those things to highlight for our policy makers to look at it and then make it an Act”.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation, and the Foundation for Rural and Urban Transportation (FoRUT) are the two main partners of SLAPA in
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