The National Council for Civic Education and Democracy (NaCCED) on 12th October 2023, held a Substance Abuse Campaign Stakeholders Maiden meeting at its 21 Steward Street headquarter office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss NaCCED’s draft concept note on the prevalence of drugs (especially Kush) as well as the alarming effects on the country’s young population, and put together a campaign plan to address this national threat. In attendance were representatives from the Sierra Leone Police, Ministry of Social Welfare, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the Ministry of Youth Affairs.
Addressing the meeting, Mr. Kalilu Totangi, NaCCED Chairman said that the issue of drug abuse especially Kush has become a threat to national development, “therefore addressing it requires a multi-stakeholder approach”, he emphasized. He thanked everyone for honoring the invitation, and encouraged participants to bring forward their knowledge and experience for the success of the campaign. His brief statement was followed by a presentation of the draft concept note followed by a plenary discussion session.
The plenary session was very interactive with contributions from representatives of all institutions – Ibrahim Dugba from Nation Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Batilo Lomeh from Ministry of Youth Affairs, Isata Fulla and Michael Sesay from the Sierra Leone Police, and staff of NaCCED.
NaCCED Communications and Outreach Department headed by the Director was tasked with the responsibility to consolidate the document and share with all stakeholders.
