{"id":2000123029,"date":"2026-08-19T07:46:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T05:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000123029"},"modified":"2026-08-19T08:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T06:39:24","slug":"rwanda-noncommunicable-disease-alliance-backs-crackdown-on-illicit-alcohol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-noncommunicable-disease-alliance-backs-crackdown-on-illicit-alcohol\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda noncommunicable disease alliance backs crackdown on illicit alcohol"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the alliance described the enforcement measures as a vital step towards protecting public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClosing non-compliant manufacturing facilities and issuing an immediate product recall marks a vital step in protecting public health,\u201d the alliance said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rwanda FDA has shut down 148 local alcohol manufacturers and revoked their operating licences as part of the nationwide crackdown on substandard and illicit alcoholic beverages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has also suspended the importation of 52 alcoholic beverage brands from international markets and ordered their immediate nationwide recall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crackdown follows growing concerns over the health effects of unsafe alcoholic beverages. Speaking to IGIHE earlier this month, Minister of Health Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana said investigations had linked unsafe alcoholic drinks to more than 50 deaths recorded between January and July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said more than 500 people had sought medical treatment after consuming the drinks, while more than 100 people had lost their eyesight. A nationwide assessment also identified nearly 11,000 people struggling with alcohol addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 100 people have been arrested in connection with the crackdown, including Rwanda FDA Director-General Emile Bienvenu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RNCDA said removing illicit products was important in preventing immediate harm but called for broader measures to address alcohol-related health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing World Health Organization data, the alliance noted that alcohol is a toxic and dependence-producing substance associated with more than 200 health conditions. Globally, alcohol consumption contributes to approximately three million deaths each year and is a major behavioural risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, liver cirrhosis, metabolic disorders and several types of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alliance also noted that informally and illegally produced alcohol accounts for an estimated 25 percent of total alcohol consumption per capita worldwide and remains difficult to control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RNCDA highlighted that Rwanda\u2019s measures were in line with the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030, which promotes cost-effective measures to reduce alcohol-related harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It called for measures including higher taxes on alcoholic beverages, restrictions on alcohol advertising and tighter controls on the physical availability of alcohol, particularly to young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alliance said sustained action against harmful alcohol consumption was necessary to reduce preventable deaths and advance Rwanda\u2019s health priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also pledged to work with government institutions, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to promote evidence-based alcohol control policies and public awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Rwanda Noncommunicable Disease Alliance (RNCDA) has backed the government\u2019s ongoing crackdown on illicit and unsafe alcoholic beverages, commending the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) for shutting down non-compliant manufacturers and recalling products considered unsafe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Rwanda Noncommunicable Disease Alliance (RNCDA) has backed the government\u2019s ongoing crackdown on illicit and unsafe alcoholic beverages, commending the measures taken to shut down non-compliant manufacturers and recall unsafe products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000123030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000123029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000123030,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/download-4.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1200,"height":888,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/download-4.jpg","width":1200,"height":888},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/download-4.jpg","width":1200,"height":888},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/download-4.jpg","width":1200,"height":888},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/download-4.jpg","width":1200,"height":888},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/download-4.jpg","width":1200,"height":888}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000123029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000123031,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123029\/revisions\/2000123031"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000123030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000123029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000123029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000123029"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000123029"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000123029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}