Tobacco Control in Africa - TCA

Rachel Kitonyo to leave the Consortium by June 30

Rachel Kitonyo, ATCC's Programs Director, shares this information in an email (see below) received yesterday. It raises (at least for us) a few questions as Rachel had been very instrumental in the creation and management of the Consortium. How will this departure impact the management of ATCC? That remains to be seen as well as the potential changes that could occur following the still mysterious 'evaluation' made by Gates Foundation's advisors as mentioned briefly in the report ( see page 6, only in French for now) about the May 15 meeting "What future for tobacco control in Africa" that took place in Dakar. Rachel's presentation at this meeting is summarized on page 5 and 6.

What is the management overhead for the grants awarded to promote tobacco control in Africa?

This recent article about overhead at big charities invites the question about the management overhead. For instance, what is ACS doing for their apparent very substantial share  ($1.5 million+?) of the Gates Foundation grant ($7 to 8 million)?

WNTD 2013

More info here.

African Region Awardees for World No Tobacco Day 2013

Every year, WHO recognizes individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO Regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the form of WHO Director-General Special Recognition Awards, World No Tobacco Day Awards, and in 2013, one WHO Director-General's Special Recognition Certificate.
A WHO Director-General Special Award went to Paul Kasereka Lughembe, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the picture with Véronique Le Clézio who received the same award in 2010.

African Region awardees went to the following: Vision for Alternative Development (Ghana), Mr Ibrahima Kalissa (Association guinéenne de lutte contre le tabagisme, Guinea), Ms Diabate Mariam Berthe (Association de lutte contre le tabac et autres stupéfiants au Mali, Mali), Mr Mayaki Mamane (Direction de l’hygiène publique et de l’éducation pour la santé, Ministère de la santé, Niger), Mr Jean Christophe Rusatira (National University of Rwanda, Rwanda).
These six award winners will be recognized for their outstanding contribution to tobacco control in their respective countries

The Bloomberg Initiative says it awarded $100 million in grants since 2007. Mike Bloomberg invested $595 million in tobacco control since 2007. Where did the difference (83.2%) go?

The information is posted on the CTFK blog. Mike Bloomberg very generously invested $125 million in 2006 (with the first grants in 2007), then $250 million in 2008 (convincing the Gates Foundation to invest along $125 million) and lastly $220 million in 2012. My question is: where did the rest of the money go? What happened to the $495 million (83,2%) that were not awarded to grants? How much (for instance) was spent on management? Is any detailed budget available?

And that's ignoring the fact that the total budget was/is more than $595 million as the money was not disbursed at once and produced significant interests (as seen on a much smaller scale for the $7 million given to ACS that have transformed into $8 million now). Transparency anyone?

What about the grant awarded by the Gates Foundation to the American Cancer Society?

There is very little to find on the site of the Gates Foundation, except that the amount awarded has risen by 1 million (probably from the interests) from $7 to $8 million. What has been/is done with the money? Here is the page devoted to the African Tobacco Control Consortium by ACS that says it contributes 'significant financial and human resources to this initiative' but does not provide any number. As we recall, the project managers (including ACS) were supposed to match the funds given by the Gates Foundation (see their LOI, point V). Here is a link to the African Tobacco Control Resource Center. 

We could not find any detailed and updated financial documents.

Most recent grants from Bloomberg Initiative - CTFK

Since the last time we checked in January, a few new grants have been awarded: to ATCA (182K, February 2013 with 8 target countries), Cameroon ($99K, March 2013). See the details below.

If we add the grants awarded at the end of 2012 we see the financial support is focused on Uganda, Togo, Kenya, Cameroon and ATCA (for their multicountries WAEMU initiative)

Misappropriation of grants in Sierra Leone

As reported in the New York Times. How do we know it's not happening in other programs, including tobacco control? What is the level of transparency and independent financial audit/reporting?

What plain cigarette packs look like (in Australia)

Here.

What is the budget devoted to tobacco control in your country?

What is the budget devoted to tobacco control in your country? Very often this question is not even asked while of course it is a key component of an effective tobacco control policy. For a long time I was unable to find when the proposal had been made that 1% of the tobacco taxes be devoted to fund tobacco control (see the point 6). Thanks to Google I rediscovered that this was part of the Charter Against Tobacco adopted during the First European Conference Against Tobacco, organized by WHO-Europe in 1988. Strangely this very modest and simple proposal that would raise very signifcant amounts of money for tobacco control has never (that I know) been recommended again. I wonder why. Can you figure out how much 1% of tobacco taxes would represent in your country? I looked for France where about Euros 15 billion are collected. 1% would represent Euros 150 million. According to a recent report the various aggreagated budgets devoted to tobacco control would represent about Euros 10 million (see pages 93 to 95, in French).

World No Tobacco Day 2013: Ban Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsoring.

The theme chosen for World No Tobacco Day 2103 (May 31, 2013) is Ban Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsoring.

Governance of Tobacco in the 21st Century?

Who are the African advocates who took part as speakers in the Governance of Tobacco in the 21st Century conference organized by Harvard University on February 26/27 2013? Can you guess? Who attended?

Most recent grants from CTFK - Bloomberg Initiative for Kenya, Togo and Uganda

Grants for programs in Kenya,Togo and Uganda (see details below). The grant for Kenya amounts to $49.380, the grant to Togo to $152.963 while 4 grants to Uganda total $456.440.

Feedback remains a keyword for Bill Gates

Feedback remains a keyword for Bill Gates, here in this opinion for the Wall Street Journal. But how does it apply (if it does) to the tobacco control grants? Here the comment from Humanosphere.

Will South Africa adopt plain packaging?

Would such a move result in an international legal dispute?

Gambia: Tobacco Control in Gambia

This opinion in The Point.

Tanzania: Dar Es Salaam eyes Chinese tobacco market

From the Daily News.

Malawi, Tanzania: Japan Tobacco International celebrates its reforestation program

From the JTI website.

Malawi: From tobacco growing to fish farming

This inspiring story from the Nyasa Times.

Nigeria: BAT's initiatives in "Corporate Social Responsibility"

Here, giving awards to promote agriculture.

Nigeria: Growing use of shisha/hookah

There is a growing use of shisha/hookah in Nigeria, including by celebrities apparently unaware of the health risks.

South Africa: Smokers have their own royal tent during ANC national conference

From News 24 this description of a tent for smokers sponsored by BATSA.

Tobacco companies see Africa as a fertile ground

An article just published in the Los Angeles Times. Robyn Dixon interviews a few tobacco control advocates from South Africa and describes how trendy smoking is for young males and how easy and cheap it is to buy one stick.

South Africa: Tobacco smoke pollution in the non-smoking section fo restaurants in Pretoria

This is a letter published in Tobacco Control Journal but unfortunately you have to subscribe to read the whole content. Still worth mentioning.

Electronic chips to track tobacco products in Kenya

Doug Bettcher mentions this use of electronic chips to track tobacco products and combat illicit trade in a interview with the Russian newspaper Gazeta.

Deborah Hutton Campaign in the UK: make a film!

The Deborah Hutton Campaign invites youth to produce their own anti-tobacco short film.

Ethiopia: National Tobacco Company wants to modernize

An interesting article from Addis-Fortune about the National Tobacco Company that wants to modernize its equipment and a description of the present tobacco market in Ethiopia.

BAT Nigeria Foundation's activities in Edo State.

BAT Nigeria's foundation has given a building to a local community.

Shadow Reports about the implementation of the FCTC in Africa

We recently mentioned the "shadow report" recently published about Tanzania but there are 7 other African shadow reports published by FCA. Here are the links (pdf)

• Benin
• Botswana
• Burundi
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Togo

From Finland, The Tobacco Body

An online presentation of the impact of tobacco on the human (female and male) body.

Mobile Health (mHealth) for tobacco control

This is a new WHO initiative aiming at using smart phones to promote tobacco control. The projects mentioned center mostly -for now- around cessation but they also involve smoke-free places and combatting illicit trade. There could be apps for each tobacco control issue. African developers wanted and think about what to communicate about.

Angelique Kidjo: very much anti-tobacco

As an artist/advocate, could she do more to promote tobacco control policies in Africa? Has she been asked to? 

Zimbabwe: News about the tobacco growing situation

From The Herald, an official point of view that points to some problems.

ITGA and COMESA about tobacco production ban and sustainable alternative crops

The International Tobacco  Growers’ Association (ITGA) has welcomed the Common Market for Eastern  and Southern Africa (Comesa) decision to oppose the total ban of tobacco  production without offering sustainable alternative crops. From Zimdiaspora

Tanzania’s smoking rates rise despite FCTC ratification

Smoking rates are rising in Tanzania, especially among youth, despite the country having ratified the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2007.

The main reason for the rise is the tobacco industry’s increasing promotion of tobacco products in the country, a new shadow report has found.

From the FCA site.

Cameroon: A presentation of a draft for a new tobacco control law for parliamentarians

From the Cameroun Tribune.

The Cameroonian Coalition Against Tobacco held a forum on Thursday in Yaounde.

Liberia: Enforce Regulation Against Public Smoking

This Editorial in The News (from Monrovia) underlines the need for enforcement.

Workshop about tax policies in West Africa in Ouagadougou (November 26-28)

Find below the press release posted on tobacco.org from AllAfrica.

Interesting article about BAT's practices in South Africa and Nigeria

Browsing away I visited the excellent tobacco.org site and while searching for news about Africa I found this very interesting article by Ogala Emmanuel published on Premium Times. One part of the story is about the way BAT switches from traditional advertising (on billboards etc) to more subtle promotional practices, like offering cigarettes in many public places, "just so adult customers can test our brands". A classic move that is used globally and is more difficult to combat than illegal traditional ads and is probably more dangerous.

The budget awarded by the Gates Foundation to ACS-Consortium increases again

When we last looked at the budget (in December 2011) it was $7.8788.847. As of today it is $8.015.471, an increase of $130.624.

Still no detailed information about how this grant is used.

Job opening: Tobacco Control Advisor at CTCA (Makerere University in Kampala)

Read the ad and apply before November 30.

Evaluation of the tobacco control programs in Africa?

A meeting has taken place in Atlanta at the end of October to look into evaluating tobacco control programs in Africa? Quis custodiet ipsos custodies? Any guarantee of an independent process? ie not having the funders and the people receiving the money self-evaluating themselves? Any hint of the creation of objective benchmarks and a simple scorecard like the one adopted for the EU in 2007?

What pictures for tobacco control in Africa?

This NYT post  about photojournalism and NGOs reminds me how little (if any) good pictures have been produced about tobacco control in Africa. Why? The same reason so little (if any) good articles have been written. No budget was/is set aside to incite/compensate journalists reporting about tobacco control issues. Why? Ask the organizations and people who have been/are managing the millions of dollars allocated for tobacco control in Africa since 2007. 

Gates Foundation and New Venture Fund: from $1,329,671 to $4,163,671

After visiting the Bloomberg Initiative's site I decided to visit as well the Gates Foundation's site in case there was anything new. Indeed there was. I had mentioned earlier a grant awarded by GF to the New Venture Fund that mentioned tobacco control in Africa. When revisiting the page devoted to this grant it appears that the amount has significantly increased: it's now $4,163,671 instead of $1,329,671.
All the rest remains identical and I could not find any additional information about what's it's all about. Just millions floating around. Philanthrocapitalism at work. Any reason to complain or be surprised?

Uganda: a new $120K grant from CTFK-Bloomberg Initiative

Visiting the Bloomberg Initiative site I find that the Ugandan Ministry of Health was awarded $120K in September to develop a "national tobacco control strategic plan". See below for a few more details. As of today, according to the information available, $272.724 have been awarded in 2012 by the Initiative to 4 African projects. That's a big drop compared to the previous years. Most of the recipients are organizations that had already been funded: what about all the other groups and countries? Any support for Guinea where advocates just succeed in advancing a new Tobacco Control Act (in French) or Senegal where they keep pushing and communicating (also in French).

Seychelles approves graphic health warnings (50% of the surface)

The Seychelles government has approved new graphic health warnings on tobacco packages, which must cover at least 50 per cent of the package’s front and back.
The regulation was formally published in the Official Gazette on 1 October 2012. After having ratified the FCTC first in the African region in 2003, the government of the island country implemented comprehensive tobacco legislation in 2009.
A total ban on tobacco advertising, promotion sponsorship and a total ban of smoking in all enclosed work and public places are already well enforced.
The new warnings will be mandatory from April 2013.
More information
Download the regulations

The digital revolution in Africa

From this post in the Guardian. What should be the "consequences" for tobacco control? Signaled by Amie Newman in Impatient Optimists.

A mysterious project funded by IDRC: Expanding Fiscal Policies

Discovered on their site but it does not give much details about what it is precisely about, what the budget is, who the African partners are, etc.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is looking for an Executive Assistant, Africa Programs

Just posted on Idealist.org

New Venture Fund for Global Policy and Advocacy: What Projects in Africa within this $1,329,671 grant?

Find below the description of the goals of the New Venture Fund for Global Policy and Advocacy (NVF for GPA) that was awarded a $1,329,671 grant by the Gates Foundation. I now cannot find it any longer on their site.