RNAQ Foundation donates GH₵500K to boost Ghana’s Anti-drug campaign

The Richard Nii Armah Quaye (RNAQ) Foundation has committed GH₵500,000 to the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment in support of the national anti-drug drive, Ghana Against Drugs – Red Means Stop. 

The initiative targets the growing opioid crisis among young people and will also fund in-depth research into its root causes.

At a ceremony on Tuesday, August 12, founder Richard Nii Armah Quaye presented the donation to the Minister, pledging the foundation’s long-term partnership in tackling youth-related social challenges. He explained that beyond job creation, the foundation runs food banks in deprived communities to prevent neglect and hunger—factors he says can drive people toward drug use. Plans are underway to expand these food banks nationwide.

Quaye emphasized that the foundation will also work with the ministry to support those already battling opioid addiction, calling the gesture a show of solidarity in preventing the crisis from becoming a national catastrophe.

Youth Minister George Opare Addo, who accepted the donation on International Youth Day, praised the RNAQ Foundation’s commitment. He said part of the funds will support nationwide research in schools, tertiary institutions, and disadvantaged communities to understand why young people turn to drugs and to craft targeted interventions.

“This is a collective fight,” the minister urged, calling on individuals, community leaders, and businesses to join the campaign. He also encouraged Ghanaians to use their social media platforms to raise awareness.

Launched earlier this year, the Red Means Stop campaign seeks to reduce substance abuse among Ghana’s youth through education, prevention, and community action.