In a collaboration between the Liberia Alcohol Policy Alliance (LAPA), the Ministry of Health, and other partners, Liberia has officially launched its National Alcohol Policy, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at reducing harm from alcohol use.
The policy was launched during a well-attended event in Monrovia on October 3rd, 2023.
The National Alcohol Policy of Liberia addresses several key alcohol control policies, including accessibility, pricing, and advertising, with a common goal to mitigate the harms associated with alcohol use. These policies align well with research and with WHO recommendations included in the SAFER initiative that was launched in 2018 to help member states create knowledge-based alcohol policies.
“The Alcohol Policy can make a substantive and productive contribution to public health outcomes in Liberia by preventing alcohol problems“, says Roseline Thomas Richards, the coordinator of LAPA.
She further emphasizes that the success of this policy owes much to the synergy of community activism and strategic policy development:
“The way that we prevent and reduce harms from alcohol is through activism and policy development that mobilize communities and institutions to support alcohol-free environments. We thrived through this process because our partners, Ministry of Health, WAAPA, FORUT and WHO, gave us the most desired push. LAPA now stands with her head up high with a blueprint labeled ‘The National Alcohol Policy for Liberia’”.
The launch of the National Alcohol Policy of Liberia marks a critical step towards a safer and healthier Liberia. FORUT congratulates LAPA with the achievement.
