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The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing ESQ, has inaugurated a 15-member Anti-Drug Abuse Taskforce to tackle the increasing threat of illicit drug use in the region.
The taskforce, chaired by the Regional Police Commander DCOP Mr. Darko Offei Lomotey, was launched on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
According to Minister Puozuing, the taskforce is a citizen-centered response to an urgent threat that could have devastating consequences for the region’s youth, social fabric, and future.
He emphasized that the menace of illicit drug use is no longer remote, but present, persistent, and predatory, affecting bus terminals, homes, and even school compounds.
The Regional minister has indicated that, the taskforce’s terms of reference include collaborating with agencies and institutions to identify, apprehend, and prosecute dealers, transporters, distributors, and users of illegal drugs.
‘’Members are also expected to educate and sensitize the public on the dangers of drug abuse using every available platform he added’’
Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing urged taskforce members to take their guidelines as a “moral compass” and to begin by “cleaning their own houses,” emphasizing the importance of integrity in their work. He also encouraged members to influence every civic resource available to support their efforts.
He stated emphatically that, the taskforce aligns with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 Manifesto, which pledges to deepen community engagement and empower citizens to take ownership of local security challenges, including narcotics control.
As the taskforce begins its work, Minister Puozuing charged members to be guided by courage, united by purpose, and inspired by a clear vision of a drug-free Upper West Region. “Let our vision be clear, a drug-free Upper West Region. A model for Ghana. A legacy for posterity,” he said.
‘’The taskforce is seen as a strategic complement to the work of the Narcotics Control Commission, the Police, the Ghana Education Service, the Ghana Health Service, and other stakeholders in addressing the menace of illicit drug use in the region. With the hope of mothers, the prayers of teachers, and the tears of helpless families resting on their shoulders, taskforce members have been dubbed “Sentinels of Sobriety, Champions of Change, and Agents of Redemption.
Meanwhile, the regional coordinating director Pognaa Fati Issaka Koray in her welcome address stated that the abuse of illicit drugs is something that is a worrying trend in the region and all stakeholders are not happy about.
She revealed that, Members of the Taskforce were drawn from the law enforcement and intelligence agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society representatives and other relevant bodies
The chairman of the taskforce committee DCOP Mr. Darko Offei Lomotey expressed the committee’s readiness in combating tackle the increasing threat of illicit drug use in the region.
