The African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) has raised alarm over increasing interference by the tobacco industry in public health policymaking across Africa, highlighting findings from the Africa Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025.
The report, which covers 20 African countries, reveals persistent and, in some cases,
worsening tactics by the tobacco industry to influence legislation and public
perception, posing a direct threat
to health, sovereignty, and future generations.
In Zambia,
the long-awaited Tobacco Control
Bill has been postponed yet again, while Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia have
publicly endorsed tobacco industry-led corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, including school
renovations and water projects. ATCA warned that such activities are not
benevolent gestures but strategic
efforts to improve the industry’s image and gain political access.
The report also highlights lobbying on emerging products in
countries like Kenya and Ghana,
where the industry is attempting to weaken regulations on nicotine pouches and
e-cigarettes by promoting the “harm reduction” narrative. In Nigeria, delays in implementing
updated pictorial health warnings reflect similar industry influence.
In Tanzania
and Mozambique, tobacco control laws have stagnated for over a decade
despite rising tobacco production and exports. Meanwhile, Malawi has been criticized for
allowing officials aligned with the tobacco industry to participate in
its COP10 delegation.
ATCA emphasized that these actions violate Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires governments to protect public health policy from commercial
interests.
However, there are positive examples. Burkina Faso has demonstrated
strong advocacy and transparency, while Uganda, Gabon, and Ethiopia have enacted robust legislative protections against
tobacco industry interference, showcasing political will and commitment to
public health.
ATCA has issued a series of urgent recommendations:
- Reject all tobacco industry-sponsored CSR and
prohibit such partnerships.
- Base policymaking on independent,
evidence-based research, rejecting industry-funded
science.
- Establish clear codes of conduct and
conflict-of-interest policies to protect public health.
- Exclude industry-affiliated officials from
health delegations and fast-track FCTC-compliant laws.
- Empower
enforcement agencies to impose
penalties and ensure compliance.
- Invest
in legal capacity and
monitoring mechanisms to safeguard public health.
“Africa must not become the next epicentre of the
global tobacco epidemic. Governments must enforce Article 5.3 with urgency and
integrity, prioritizing health, equity, and sovereignty over industry profit,”
ATCA stated.
The alliance called for coordinated action from governments, civil society, and youth
advocates to build a tobacco-free
Africa, emphasizing that economic growth should not come at the expense
of public health.
By Samuel Mbewe
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