Stakeholders To Strengthen Alcohol Advertising Standards

A group photograph of the dignitaries at the event

Stakeholders in the alcohol marketing industry have pledged commitment to strengthen alcohol marketing and advertising standards to protect the interest of consumers and public health.

Among the stakeholders are the Association of Alcohol Manufacturers and Importers (AAMI), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA)

The rest are Advertisers Association of Ghana (AAG) and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA).

At a one-day Ghana Alcohol Beverage Marketing & Advertising Standards workshop held at the Kempinski Hotel under the aegis of the AAMI, in partnership with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), the stakeholders underscored the need to work together to realise a new dawn of alcohol marketing and advertising in Ghana.

Presenting the keynote address on behalf of the Minister of Health, Joseph Adusei, Head of Regenerative Health & Nutrition Programme at the MoH, said responsible marketing practices can support public health goals to reduce alcohol-related harm in the country.

“Producers must understand their responsibility to develop, produce, market and sell their products responsibly. They must lead the change and I believe that there is great opportunity for the AAMI to work with other stakeholders to ensure that the rest of the industry aligns with responsible marketing and advertisement of alcohol,” he stated.

In his speech, Information Minister Dr Mustapha Hamid congratulated the AAMI and its partners for taking leadership by putting together the workshop, adding, “To all intents, this workshop is timely as it will incite the much needed conversation and change in view of recent issues around alcohol marketing and advertising in Ghana.”

Speaking at the workshop, Gabriel Opoku-Asare, Vice Chairperson of the AAMI, hinted that the association is aware that there is a challenge that needs to be addressed and believes the industry can play an important role in improving the current situation and producers have embraced robust standards as the way forward.

At a panel session to round off the workshop, stakeholders, including the AAMI, AAG, FDA and GIBA, underscored the need to improve advertising and marketing standards in Ghana through a collaborative approach in order to guarantee compliance of independent codes and national regulations on alcohol.