Ghana, November 2007, FPWP/Hibiscus in partnership with the British High Commission in Accra, launches the public information campaign ‘Maame goes to London’

Preparation for the campaign involved establishing local partnerships and meeting the community leaders, the market women, as well as media representatives, who would all play their part in carrying the message of the campaign forward into the community, the universities and the schools.

The launch of the campaign in Novemebr 2007 at the High Commission was introduced by Gary Nicholls, Head of Press and Public Affairs to the British High Commission. Olga Heaven, Director of Hibiscus, gave an overview of the campaign and its aims. A number of addresses from important community leaders followed, including contributions from the National Chief Imam and the General Secretary of the Christian Council. In a video message specifically recorded for the occasion Michael Essien expressed his support for the campaign:
Drug trafficking destroys democracy, rule of law, good governance and ruins people’s lives, ordinary people who are duped into drug smuggling by the so called ‘barons’ on the promise of financial gain. The barons do not tell you about the dangers of drug smuggling, at best you will be caught and end up in prison for a long time, at worst you will die, if drug pellets burst.

Government ministers also backed the campaign. The President of the National House of Chiefs, the Government of Ghana Interior Minister, and guest of honour Dr Kim Howells all reiterated the importance of the message.
In line with our belief that education is a most effective weapon against drugs importation, FPWP/Hibiscus and the British High Commission in Accra, launched a public information campaign in Ghana in November 2007. This campaign is targeted at women and children who, through poverty and desperation, are lured into becoming drugs mules. The posters and animation warn of the dangers and consequences of importing drugs into the UK.

The storyline in the poster was drawn up by Ghanaian women in prison in the UK, telling their story. Before setting off, these women were ignorant of the real danger and the long prison sentences that they faced when caught in the UK. They wished their story to be told to prevent others from being drawn into carrying drugs, and save them from the suffering of being separated for years from their homes, their children and their families. Ms Heavens adds:

The consequences are terrible. The women leave their children to fend for themselves, they can end up on the streets, turn to prostitution and drugs. The guilt for these women is their real sentence.

Dr Howells emphasised the scale of the world-wide problem, stating that a recent United Nations report valued the drugs business at $300 billion dollars a year, with 200 million consumers around the world.

The campaign has been very well received and has received maximum media coverage in Ghana. Radio and Television stations, such as Joy FM, Atlantis FM, TV Africa, TV3, continue to play the animation. Ghanaian newspapers such as The Ghanaian Times, the Daily Graphic, Accra Daily Mail, Ghana Review, have all contributed to publicity that surrounds this campaign. Guy Smith of the BBC, flew out to Ghana and produced in depth reports for the BBC news which was shown on UK news at 6 o’clock and 10 o’clock.

This was considered very important as it reached Ghanaians living in the UK who, on returning home for a visit, may be targeted by the drugs barons and encouraged to carry drugs on their return back to the UK.
It is vital that the message reaches the young. The Ministry of Information & Education has incorporated it into their information programme for the rural areas. The campaign will also be promoted in schools and universities.

We intend to monitor the trends of women from Ghana being caught for drugs importation in the UK for the next six months. So far the signs are that the campaign is successful. Numbers of women from Ghana being caught in UK airports has fallen dramatically.

We would like to thank all those who played their part in making this campaign a success.