The Eastern Regional Peace Council, on Thursday, 25th September 2025, marked this year’s International Peace Day in Koforidua on the theme “Act Now for a Peaceful World: Addressing Youth Substance Abuse as a Pathway to Violence Prevention.”
The Regional Minister, Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, underscored the importance of peace as the foundation for development, prosperity, and social harmony.
She cautioned against the growing threat of youth substance abuse, noting its links to crime, insecurity, and violence in communities.
Mrs. Awatey stressed that peace must be nurtured at home, in schools, churches, workplaces, and communities, adding that peace is not just a vision but a call to action that each of us must answer by promoting understanding, respect, and justice in our daily lives.
She further urged stakeholders to work together to provide young people with education, skills training, and employment opportunities, saying these serve as alternatives that foster hope and prevent them from being drawn into crime and violence.
The Chairman of the Regional Peace Council, Dr. Mark Boadu, described the rise in illicit drug use and alcohol abuse among the youth as a security threat, urging parents, families, schools, and traditional and religious leaders to intensify efforts to combat the challenge before it escalates.
Chairman of the event, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, Paramount Chief of New Juaben, advised parents and guardians to pay close attention to their children to prevent them from being influenced by negative peer pressure. He emphasized the need for stakeholders to identify threats to peace and confront them with seriousness.
The Regional Peace Ambassador, Nana Owiredu Wadie I, who is also the Nkosuohene of Kwahu Nkwatia and Chairman of the Kabaka Foundation, encouraged the youth to choose life and stay away from drugs, reminding them of their crucial role as future leaders and guardians of peace.
The celebration brought together Traditional Leaders, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Heads of Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, students, youth and women’s groups, and the media, all united in the call to safeguard peace in the Eastern Region and Ghana at large.