By;Nelson Baziwelo Zakeyu

Secretary to the Alcohol Policy Task force Committee and,

Executive Director – Drug Fight MalawiWeb site: www.drugfightmalawi.com

Consumption of alcohol beverages is a long-standing widespread, and varied human custom.

In Malawi, home production of indigenous beverages exists alongside industrial production

Both male and female consume alcohol in Malawi but high consumption is reported in male ( Base Line Survey on Unrecorded Alcohol in Malawi 2010 – Drug Fight Malawi)

Harmful alcohol use can be defined as excessive use to the point that it causes damage to health and often includes adverse social consequences – Dr. Ala Alwan, WHO Assistant Director for Non communicable Diseases and Mental Health- 2011.

As much as it affects the consumer, there is a broad range of people adversely affected by the drinking of others.

Problems of increased road accidents, rape and murder cases, HIV cases, poverty etc, are often linked to harmful use of alcohol.

Until now, development policies for this country do not consider alcohol consumption as a development issue. Such policies include MGDS which is the overarching strategy for Malawi, Malawi Vision 2020, Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy, Malawi Economic Growth Strategy, Malawi Growth and Development Strategy and the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy Formulation Process.

WHO, the World Bank and other partners have approved alcohol as development issue and are urging countries to consider this.

Average annual income per individual in Malawi is small unfortunately, much of the income already small, is spent on alcohol – Base Line Survey on Unrecorded alcohol, 2010.

Harmful use of alcohol therefore has a serious effect on public health and a contributing factor to poverty in Malawi

Effective actions against harmful use of alcohol were needed to be taken to protect the people

In 2006, Drug Fight Malawi started implementing a two year education program (awareness raising) on Alcohol and Education.

The targets were youth in and out of school in both Lilongwe urban and rural.

It was a nice program, well received and accepted by parents/guardians, teachers as well as students in the targeted area

Progress report for the first year (2006) of the project clearly indicated the impact of the project was too small due to many problems related to harmful alcohol consumption that were not only affecting quality of education but other sectors as well.

It needed joint efforts from all stakeholders to reduce those problems for the sustainable development of Malawi

While revising alcohol and education project, Alcohol Industry invited Drug Fight Malawi, other Civil Societies and Government officials such as Ministry of to a meeting right here at Crossroads Hotel where it was learnt of the Alcohol Industry initiated National Alcohol Policy- November, 2007

Participants were being asked for contributions to the Draft Alcohol Industry Initiated Policy at that time

A thorough study to the Alcohol Industry Policy document alarmed Civil society Organizations invited and Drug Fight Malawi in particular.

The Alcohol Industry initiated Policy clearly showed their vested interest, aimed at maximization of profits and little to assist Malawian Society against alcohol related problems

In response to Alcohol Industry initiated Policy, Drug Fight Malawi in April 2008, organized the first ever stakeholders meeting on alcohol and developments, with participants from both Civil Society and strategic government Ministries/Departments

The idea was to discuss about the Alcohol Industry initiated policy and how best to come in with alcohol harm reduction strategies that would benefit all the people in the country.

The meeting agreed on the following:- Agreed for the need for Malawi to develop

and implement the National Alcohol Policy that would focus on the interest of the society and not those in business.

- Participants nominated Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Security (Home Affairs by then) as a Lead Ministry to the Processes

- A working committee ‘The Alcohol Policy Task force Committee’ was put in place

Drug Fight Malawi, an organization initiated and also spearheading the work, was nominated as a Secretariat to the processes

Agreed to hire a consultant to assist in the development of the Alcohol Policy frame work

Agreed also to work closely with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug Control (chaired by Ministry of internal Affairs and Public Security) and all other strategic Government Ministries and departments

To work with Alcohol Industry in Malawi for their inputs on how best to reduce harmful alcohol consumption, but not necessarily consulting them in the development of the National Alcohol Policy

To invite other Civil Society organizations to join hand in working with the Government in the development of the National Alcohol Policy.

The Lead Ministry on the other hand started collaborating with all other Ministries in support to the development of the National Alcohol Policy.

Several stages/activities have taken place since 2008, to ensure people’s voice is heard in the final draft National Alcohol Policy.

WHO, Forut of Norway, GAPA and the World Bank have been very instrumental to the development of Malawi Alcohol Policy through the provision of evidence based information at int. level, technical expertise and other resources (finances –Forut of Norway)

Nationally, in addition to collecting views from the people, local experts have contributed much to the Draft National Alcohol Policy.

These ensure that while the final draft Alcohol Policy meets with local needs, it also complies with International standards.

Ministry of Health as a Lead Ministry- The first stages of Policy were implemented

under the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Security. The Policy working committee in January, 2011, decided to transfer the Alcohol Policy leadership to the Ministry of Health as the most appropriate Ministry due to high element of public health

- I hope, the Ministry of Health will continue welcoming comments/views from the people even after this gathering before the policy is finalised.

Group discussions, one to one consultations and public debating were some of the methods used in collecting peoples’ views.

Thank you for the attention