7 African countries that tackled alcohol abuse during the pandemic according to the WHO

• The World Health organization just released a publication that detailed the progress 7 African countries made with alcohol abuse. 
• The report centered around how the Covid-19 pandemic fueled the fight against substance abuse. 
• Most of the countries listed are Eastern or Southern African.

Alcohol related incidents pre and post the Covid-19 pandemic have been a prevalent problem in Africa.

However, the lock-down presented an interesting dilemma with this issue owing to a few factors.

The most obvious factor was of course the need to curb the spread of the virus via trade interactions, in retail, wholesale and of course international trade.

Another factor to consider is the consumption of alcohol without regulation. Mandatory lock-down simply denoted that people could drink as much and unsupervised as they wish in their homes. And with the distress that came with the global lock-down, the WHO feared that alcohol abuse would skyrocket.

And needless to say, a primary concern for the WHO at the time was the catalytic effect alcohol could have on the mutation of the virus.

An extract from the WHO’s report reads; “alcohol consumption is a risk factor for the development of major noncommunicable and communicable diseases, premature mortality, injury and domestic violence, all of which have severe economic and societal costs.

Alcohol consumption also weakens the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to COVID-19 infection and increasing the risk of severe illness.”

During the pandemic, the WHO relayed distressing concerns about substance abuse, given the absurdity of a global quarantine. It warned that the effects of alcohol abuse at such a vulnerable time could be catastrophic if strict measures were not put in place.

Fortunately, some African countries heeded the WHO’s warning, and created policies around alcohol consumption during the lock-down. These policies centered around attacking the determinants of alcohol economics.

The WHO noted that the 3 most prominent determinants of alcohol abuse are affordability, availability and acceptability, and all three should be tackled.

For affordability the WHO suggested that increasing prices of alcohol, taxes and ending financial incentives and subsidies would suffice. Also tackling unrecorded alcohol production and consumption.

For acceptability, the WHO noted that banning or comprehensively restricting alcohol marketing, advertising, sponsorships and promotion would help curb alcohol abuse.

And as for availability, the WHO disclosed that promoting healthy settings and a pro-health environment, e.g. schools, stadiums are a necessary measure. Also, mediating licensing e.g. outlet density and location, online sales is an effective strategy.

Subsequently, 7 of the 47 member states took bold actionable steps, and the WHO studied the changes in alcohol policies, systems and practices adopted by said countries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 14th of November, 2022, the WHO released a detailed report on all seven countries, tracking its progress with alcohol abuse during and after the pandemic.

Below is a list of seven African countries the WHO spotlighted in its latest report

• Botswana
• Eswatini
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Namibia
• South Africa
• Zimbabwe.

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