MONROVIA – President Joseph Nyumah Boakai has set up a multi-sector committee to fight the proliferation of drugs in Liberia. The committee is being chaired by Liberia’s Health Minister, Dr. Louise Maple Kpoto.
By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr (+231886458910) [email protected]
The committee Monday embarked on identifying facilities to be used as rehabilitation centers for disadvantaged youths and drug users who are expected to be taken from the streets and various communities in and around Monrovia.
The committee is composed of key ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Ministry of Education, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
The committee has, however, established a secretariat charged with developing comprehensive strategies and a roadmap to combat drugs and substance abuse within a three-year timeframe. This includes developing strategies and a roadmap and assigning the duties and responsibilities of each participating ministry and agency.
On Monday, February 19, 2024, the multi-sector committee conducted a thorough assessment aimed at identifying rehabilitation sites for at-risk youth and evaluating the current state of drugs and substance abuse in Liberia.
One of the key facilities the committee visited was the Youth Agriculture Training Center (YATC) in Bensonville. During the visit to the facilities, Health Minister Dr. Louise Kpoto said the visit was intended for an assessment, and afterwards, to come up with findings.
For his part, the Head of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Abe Kromah, promised a robust and vigorous fight against drugs in Liberia. He said the Government of Liberia, through the LDEA, will make use of the facilities by taking disadvantaged youths from the streets and placing them into the facilities for rehabilitation.
“We’re not going to allow the guys to run the street again. We’re going to get them off the street. Bring them here because they are sick people and sick people need to be treated,” he said.
Kromah said taking drug users from the streets will be voluntary, but added that an individual will be arrested when caught with drugs and taken to the facilities. “It will be voluntary. However, once we find you out there with drugs, you will be arrested and brought in here. We’re arresting them because by the drug law, drug possession is criminal.
Also speaking, Youth and Sports Minister, Jeror Cole Bangalu said the facility is owned by the government and the Minister of Youths and Sports has been supervising activities of the facilities.
“I mean, this is a vocational training center for youth, especially in agriculture. So the training facility was constructed for that purpose. So we’re in line especially with the appointment of the committee by the President. Which is just in line with rehabilitating and capacitating youths and young people,” Minister Bangalu noted the facility will modernize to meet up with current realities. “And we need to also redesign and modernize the facility to perform to contemporary reality.”