Uganda seeks to raise drinking age from 18 to 21

The Ugandan government has announced plans to raise the minimum legal drinking age from 18 to 21 in an effort to counter addiction.

“We want to reduce on the number of people who are going to buy. We want to raise the age from 18 to 21,” the Daily Monitor newspaper over the weekend quoted Uganda’s Commissioner for Mental Health, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Dr Hafsa Lukwata as saying.

According to her, if someone does not take an addictive substance by the age of 21 years, chances of them taking the substance later in their life are reduced.

“It is 88% chances that they will never take this substance. At 18 years of age, the chances are 48 per cent,” the commisioner added.

According to the World Health Statistics 2023 Report, Uganda is among the leading countries for high rates of alcohol consumption.

The report by the World Health Organisation estimates that Ugandans currently consume 12.2 litres of alcohol per person annually, higher than the global average.

It further indicates that Ugandan men consume more alcohol compared to women, with each consuming an average of 19.93 litres of pure alcohol compared to 4.88 litres of alcohol consumed by women a year.