The Ghanaian Journal

In recognition of the fact that 42 % of Africa’s population is below 15 years, it was noted with great concern that African countries lack proper rules, regulations or policies that guide accessing and consumption of alcohol.

As a result, participants agreed that behavior prompted by inappropriate consumption of alcohol is robbing the nation of its much needed human resource and in many ways disrupting economic progress. For that reason, there is need for African governments to adopt strong measures that can govern and ensure healthy consumption of Alcohol in Africa.

Participants agreed that African nations should adopt strong laws on alcohol that
address the following critical areas : Standardize and legalize local brews from sorghum, millet and bananas, and local inputs in general to help promote African culture, Formulate strong policies to prevent underage drinking and drunken driving, Introduce national identifications and licenses to access and drink alcohol, Formulate national policies to measure individual blood alcohol level in legal
processes as well as ensure brewing companies run responsible drinking messages concurrently with adverts as a health measure, Brewing companies should increase strong corporate social responsibility in core areas that have a long-term contribution to society.

Opening the meeting, The Director IREN, Mr. James Shikwati said the ARB, which is hosted annually by IREN is a network of organizations and individuals with the objective of promoting concepts that enhance economic freedom and wealth creation in Africa. The meeting “strategically focuses on the African Mind, the richest asset which is under-utilized, through idea sharing and information
dissemination to relevant institutions in Africa”. He said. Mr. Shikwati also added that the meeting fosters an environment for creating a business minded society in Africa, Improving the policy environment for business and improve networking among Africans.