CSOs Chases Wendy Shay Over Bad Comment

Civil Society Organizations CSOs are calling for the head of Ghanaian musician, Wendy Shay over her call on the Food and Drugs Authority FDA to lift ban on celebrities to advertise alcoholic beverages.

The united CSOs have noted that her commitment did not only exposed her selfish interest but to ridicule the future of Ghanaian youth.

This was contained in a press release issued on Friday in Accra calling on Wendy Shay to render an unqualify apology to the youth and Ghanaians in general.

The statement noted that the spate at which alcohol was been advertised in the media has the tendency to destroy the future of Ghana.

Read full statement below:

The Vision for Alternative Development and other Civil Society Organizations such as the Ghana Alcohol Policy Alliance, Ghana NCD Alliance, Community Health Support Team,
Institute for Leadership and Development, Tax Advocacy Network for Health Promotion,
Media Alliance in Tobacco Control and Health wishes to add it voice to the recent unfortunate comment from Wendy Shay calling on Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to lift the ban preventing celebrities in alcohol advertisement. We support the FDA position on the ban.

We are very disappointed and troubled over the comment and call on Wendy Shay to apologize to all the youth and young people.

She must also apologies to the poor and vulnerable who have died and those currently suffering from chronic non communicable diseases (NCDs) such asthe cancers, stroke,
liver problems, cardiovascular diseases and are unable to pay for treatment because it is very expensive.

The call to apologize stem from the fact that the celebrities ban from alcohol advert on TV and radio is primarily to protect our children from alcohol harm and destruction, yet she call on the FDA to lift the ban without recognizing the negative effects alcohol have on us as humans.

Secondly the fact she
was only concerned about her personal gains and interest and not public health and good of our children and the youth who the law seeks to protect.

Currently, alcohol advert is only restricted on TV and radio from 6am – 8pm, but alcohol adverts are on bill boards, alcohol is sold everywhere without any restriction and with just one cedi or less one
can buy alcoholic beverage making it one of the cheapest products in Ghana.

Alcohol marketing is harmful for all exposed to it, especially our children and youth, it normalizes
alcohol use, encourages people to take up alcohol and to consume more alcohol when they have
already started.

Is Wendy happy about the untold hardship and the number of the youth who have been destroyed by alcohol?.

It is important to note that 3.3 million people die from alcohol use in the world today. In Ghana 94,400
people die from non-communicable disease and alcohol is one of the major risk factors.

We call on the FDA and the Ministry of Health to expedite action on the development of the alcohol
regulation which have been in draft stage for many years to regulate the advertisement, marketing,
accessibility and affordability of alcoholic beverages.

Ghanaians are dying needlessly due to negligence on the part of some agencies in the health sector,
meanwhile there are lots of low or not cost interventions that can be put in place to protect current and
future generation from products that have no health benefits.

For more information Contact
Labram Musah
Programmes Director, VALD
General Secretary, Ghana Alcohol Policy Alliance
+233-243-211854 labrammmusah@valdghana.org