The founder and director of Chosen Rehab Center, Apostle Cobi Washington, has made an urgent appeal to government, law enforcement, and corporate Ghana to intervene in the country’s deepening drug abuse crisis, warning that Ghana risks losing a generation if action is delayed.

Speaking during a drug abuse sensitization program for over 3,000 students at Accra Academy Senior High School, Apostle Washington said the proliferation of drug ghettos and easy access to substances have left young people increasingly vulnerable.

“When I started this work 17 years ago, I could count the ghettos on my fingers. But now, every corner you turn, we are discovering new ones. They’re popping up,” he said. “The youth are becoming more addicted. It’s very easy to just walk over the counter, buy drugs, and a lot of people are losing their loved ones.”

“We Are Not Winning”
Washington was blunt in his assessment of the national response so far.

“We are not winning,” he stressed. “I can take you to a ghetto right now, and there will be more than 100 young people — some in school uniforms — sitting down smoking. How are we winning? We are not.”

He warned that countries that took drug abuse for granted have lost control of the crisis and urged Ghana not to follow that path. “If we care about our people, then we have to do something about it, and we have to do it now.”

Call for Government-Rehab Partnerships
The Chosen Rehab director said rehabilitation centres are bearing the full financial burden of outreach, education, and treatment, despite partnerships with the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Ghana Health Service, and Ghana Education Service.

“For what we are doing — going from school to school, community to community — all the cost is on the rehab centre. Everything is coming from our own pocket,” Washington explained. “It’s about time we stopped using the little we have to run programs that should be led by government.”

He proposed that government should partner with private rehab centres and create a direct link between health facilities, social welfare, and rehabilitation services.

“If somebody walks into a clinic or hospital, there should be a partnership with Social Welfare so that if the person comes in willingly, they can be enrolled in a program immediately. That will also help rehab centres,” he said.

Early Intervention Is Key
Washington emphasized that catching addiction early is the most effective way to save lives.

“The thing with drugs is you only keep graduating. You keep going higher, craving stronger substances. If you’re a weed smoker, you get to a point where weed doesn’t give you that euphoria, so you want to try something stronger. It only gets worse,” he said.

He called for trained counselors in schools to identify at-risk students and refer them to rehab centres. “If we can catch them young, and there are counselors in schools who can guide them and direct them to rehab, then we can say we are winning. If we save one, we save ourselves.”

Leverage Media and Corporate Ghana
Washington urged government to use Ghana’s vast media landscape and corporate sector to amplify anti-drug campaigns.

“Ghana has many TV and radio stations. If government can partner with some of these stations, and also compel big telecom companies — MTN, Telecel — to partner with us on a ‘Say No to Drugs’ campaign, we can reach more youth,” he said.

He recalled a successful campaign 12 years ago with Vodafone, which funded outreach to multiple schools. “Vodafone took the cost for the whole thing, and we reached a lot of schools. I believe many of those youth benefited.”

He further called for a dedicated government office to enforce Corporate Social Responsibility. “Big companies are benefiting from the people, but they are not giving back enough. If government doesn’t have the funds, it can raise funds by going to these companies and getting them to support.”

“Call Us In”
Washington said his centre is ready to share its 17 years of experience with policymakers.

“Those of us with knowledge about these things, we can sit down together. Just call us in. Chosen has been doing this for 17 years. Can we have a seat? Maybe we’ve seen something the government can use,” he said.

“One man cannot do it all. But if we start early and do it well, we will save the next generation.”

Washington ended by reiterating that he is not complaining, but praying for government intervention. “We are still praying that the government one day will see the essence of what we are doing and come into partnership with us.”

Report by Bernard K Dadzie Greater Accra Region