Thursday, the 24^th of November 2022 was day 2 of the Conference.

 

The thematic area for the day was, “implementing effective alcohol policies: barriers and opportunities”.

 

We started the day off, with our first plenary session of the day (the fourth of the entire conference). It was themed “SAFER Intervention for control of alcohol harm”.

 

Dr. Dag Rekve, from the SAFER Secretariat at the World Health Organization shared with us “the SAFER technical package, implementation framework, partnerships, infrastructure etc.

Dr. Ruth Kikome, the Vice-Chairperson Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance shared with us the “Desk Review Report that shows the availability of alcohol regulations in the 137 districts of Uganda”.

Professor Monica Swahn, the Dean at Wellstar College of Health and Human Services shared with us on “Preventing alcohol-related harm in East Africa: Stakeholder perceptions of readiness across 5 countries”.

Sampath De Seram, from Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC), shared with us on “Safeguarding Alcohol policies from undue interference: Lessons from Sri Lanka”.

And lastly in this plenary, we also heard from Prof Charles Parry, (Director, Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drug Research Unit; South African Medical on the “SAFER Monitoring System: Development, draft indicators and next steps (Virtual Presenter)”.

 

There was a “Question and Answer” session on the the SAFER Initiative and it’s roadmap in Uganda, that was handled by Dr. Dag Rekve, Dr. Kikome Ruth, Professor Monica Swahn and Sampath De Seram.

 

Right after the break-tea, we had the second batch of 5 running concurrent sessions (breakaway sessions), still focusing on the “SAFER Intervention area”.

Track 4 was on “Strengthening restrictions on alcohol availability”.

Track 5 was on “Advancement of drink-driving countermeasures (Presentation from the Uganda Police Force)”.

Track 6 was about “Facilitating screening, brief interventions and treatment (SBIT), Presentation from the Alcohol and Drug Use Unit – Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital”.

Track 7 was about “Enforcement of bans or comprehensive restrictions on advertising, sponsorship, and promotion”.

Track 8 was about “Raising prices on alcohol through excise taxes and pricing policies (Presentation from UYDEL-Alcohol taxation in Uganda: Harnessing the opportunities for controlling alcohol harm)”.

 

In Plenary session 5, there was “Feedback and general discussions on Stakeholder engagement in SAFER implementation” and presentations from partners of the conference (APRAU).

 

From the lunch and networking break, we had plenary session 6 on “The Journey of Alcohol Policy formulation in Uganda: Focus on the Uganda National Alcohol Control Policy (NACP)”.

Dr. Hafisa Lukwata shared as well on “Updates on the implementation of the NACP”.

Dr. Kalema David shared on the “Role of civil society in policy development”.

 

There were also 3 concurrent running sessions on “Implementing effective alcohol interventions”.

Track 9: Screening, Brief Interventions and Treatment of Alcohol Use

Disorders (Challenges and opportunities).

Track 10: Evidence-based interventions and impact of alcohol control

Programs.

Track 11: Research Agenda (Local and International Perspectives).

 

Abstraction presentations for the day were divided into 5 thematic areas.

Thematic area 1 was on “Improving treatment effectiveness”.

In room 1, “Screening, brief interventions and treatment of alcohol use disorders (challenges and opportunities)” guided the discussions.

 

We heard from Mr. Grace Bikumbi on “Professional development of alcohol-use disorders treatment providers”.

We also heard from Ms. Nabukenya M. Assumpta on “Assessing the impact of alcohol treatment in the rehabilitation of convicts”.

 

In the second thematic area, “the future of alcohol use disorders treatment in Uganda” took centre-stage.

Ms. Cissie Namanda took us through “Alcohol and drug abuse client characteristics from a recently set up surveillance system in Rehabilitation centres”.

Dr. David Kalema shared with us “Towards Hope and Beyond Addiction Center of Excellence. An integrated approach for the promotion of mental health, development, and general well-being in Uganda”.

 

In Room 2, “evidence-based interventions and impacts” was the centre-theme.

Under “model alcohol prevention strategies”,

Mr. Francis Nsanga shared with us on “The Reduction is Visible but Slow: Evidence from the Regional End line Alcohol Situation Assessment 2021”.

Mr. Silver Ebunyu shared with us on Prevention of alcohol and substance abuse in Uganda through life-skills education”.

Nakanjako Hajaro and Mutaawe Rogers shared more on “The role of community coalitions in alcohol use prevention: A case study of Bwaise and Nansana communities in Kampala metropolitan”.

 

Then under “alcohol and women”,

Ms. Apophia Agiresaasi shared on “Various forms of alcohol use and their predictors among pregnant women in post-conflict northern Uganda: A cross-sectional study”.

 

In Room 3, all discussions were about “Research agenda: national and international perspectives”.

In the thematic area of “local and inter-country studies”, Ms. Claire Biribawa shared with us the “2022 update on alcohol and substance use and research priorities in Uganda”.

Ms. Marie Dedeurwaerder virtually shared with us on “continuity and effectiveness of addiction (alcohol and substance abuse) treatment in the global south”.

Professor Nazarius Mbona presented on “Regulating alcohol packaging and supply to protect health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from policy systems”.

Ms. Refilwe Jeremiah virtually presented on “Policy implications of alcohol use among underage adolescents in Botswana”.

Professor Swahn Monica and her colleagues presented on “Organizational Structure, Capacity and Reach of Organizations Involved in Alcohol Prevention: An Assessment of Stakeholders across 5 Countries in East Africa.”

 

With the day’s work done, we proceeded for evening and special dinner thereafter.