Mr. Issah Ali – MEALS4NCDs Project

Issah Ali has close to two decade working experience in health and development activism with specific focus on unhealthy commodities (tobacco, alcohol, salt, fat and sugar), reproductive health, drug control, peace building, physical activity, literacy drive, youth, gender & community empowerment.

He has served on the board of the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) as Chairman from 2010-2012 and board member from 2008-2009.

He is currently a board member of the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA) and Framework Convention Alliance on Tobacco Control (FCA). Mr Ali is the National Secretary of Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (GhNCDA), Executive Director of Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) and the Head of Secretariat of the West African Alcohol Policy Alliance (WAAPA).

Issah Ali was among the civil society advocates who advocated for the coming into force of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the passage of Ghana’s Public Health Act 851 of 2012 and Tobacco Control Regulation into law.

His work includes authoring technical policy papers, books and reports including: Ghana’s Civil Society Shadow Report on the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2010 & 2014, Ghana Tobacco Industry Mapping and Monitoring (TIMM) Report 2013 and Living in Diversity (2014).

Others are the Technical paper on Ghana’s implementation of graphic health warnings on tobacco packages (2014), Technical policy paper on the tobacco industry interferences in Ghana (2016) and a Technical policy paper on tackling alcohol related-harms in West Africa (2019).

He was awarded a Certificate of Service from UNESCO, Department of Community Development and Accra Metropolitan Assembly in 2000 for literacy drive in Greater Accra communities and a Certificate of Recognition from Stop TB Programme and Accra Metropolitan Health Directorate in 2007. Under his leadership, the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) received the 2013 World Health Organizations (WHO) Award for recognition, dedication and commitment to tobacco control in Ghana.

Mr Ali is an Advance Member of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP), Member of the International Network on Brief Interventions for Alcohol & other Drugs (INEBRIA) and represents VALD at the Word Federation Against Drugs (WFAD).

He is currently providing leadership to the Coalition on the Narcotic Control Law (CNCCL) towards the passage of a strong Narcotic Control Commission law in Ghana and advocating for the development, passage and implementation of a comprehensive National Healthy Diet Policy and legislation including food labelling.

He attended several international, regional and national meetings on the control and prevention of unhealthy commodities, health and development.