Tobacco Control in Africa - TCA

Nigeria: Developing Web2.0 for women in Lagos

This program funded by IDRC.

Internet resources to prepare World No Tobacco Day 2009 about graphic warnings on cigarette packs

There are several internet sites you can visit to gather information about graphic warnings on cigarette packs in preparation for World No Tobacco Day 2009 that is devoted to this issue. We can start by our own blogs, in english and in french. We created them because we wanted a blog format instead of the more traditional presentation of the still excellent site edited by Physicians for a Smoke-free Canada. The most recent site, created with much more funding (we had none for our blogs) is tobaccolabels.org that is also managed by a canadian team. 

As for now only Egypt has adopted graphic warnings on cigarettes packs. In Canada where graphic warnings have existed for years the most recent study has found that to remain effective they should now cover 90 to 100% of the front: the bigger the better and it is imperative to change regularly the pictures as their impact diminishes with time. 

Nigeria: Ruling On N366 Billion Suit Against Tobacco Firms for March 6

Ola Ajayi writes about the conclusions of the parties.  Babatunde Irukera, counsel to ERA said, "the suit is about an industry that is killing people and they must take responsibility."

Source: AllAfrica

Mali: la contrebande de cigarettes alimente 65 % du marché

Un article de A.O. DIALLO dans l'Essor: Selon Remis Spriet, directeur technique de la SONATAM, la contrebande de cigarettes alimente 65 % du marché, soit un manque à gagner de 10 milliards Fcfa pour le Trésor public.
 Source: http://www.essor.gov.ml/

Algérie: la contrebande représenterait 60% du marché des cigarettes

Un article de DJAZIA SAFTA: "Sur le marché algérien, les cigarettes tiennent le haut du pavé avec un taux de contrefaçon de 60%".
Source: www.liberte-algerie.com

Maroc: nouvelles dispositions anti-tabac

Un article d'Amin RBOUB.
Source: www.leconomiste.com

2009 Annual Letter from Bill Gates: What role for the Foundations?

Here is an excerpt from the 2009 annual letter from Bill Gates, devoted to the role of Foundations.
It focuses of the key problem of getting adequate feedback.

Another way that running a foundation is not like running a business is that you don’t have customers who beat you up when you get things wrong or competitors who work to take those customers away from you. You don’t have a stock price that goes up and down to tell you how you’re doing. This lack of a natural feedback loop means that we as a foundation have to be even more careful in picking our goals and being honest with ourselves when we are not achieving them.

Nota: You can send your feedback about the annual letter to [email protected] and join in a public discussion about the annual letter by visit the Facebook page.

WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2009 Theme: Tobacco Health Warnings

The World Health Organization (WHO) selected "Tobacco Health Warnings" as the theme for the next World No Tobacco Day, which will take place on 31 May 2009.

Tobacco health warnings appear on packs of cigarettes and are among the strongest defenses against the global epidemic of tobacco.

WHO particularly approves of tobacco health warnings that contain both pictures and words because they are the most effective at convincing people to quit. Such pictorial warnings appear in more than a dozen countries.

Burkina Faso: il faut appliquer la convention de l'OMS et augmenter les taxes et les prix des cigarettes

L’association Afrique contre le tabac (ACONTA), section Burkina a animé une conférence de presse, le 21 janvier 2009 à Ouagadougou, afin de mieux faire connaître la convention cadre de l’OMS pour la lutte antitabac (CCLAT).

Source: www.lefaso.net

Algérie: Le tabagisme sera la principale cause des décès d’ici à 2030

Un article par Abderrahmane Semmar publié dans La Tribune On line.

Le tabac tue. C’est une vérité indéniable que les gens ont souvent tendance à oublier. Mais en Algérie, on n'a cure de ces vérités qui dérangent les conformistes et les partisans de la pensée unique et uniformisante. Enjeu majeur pour la protection de la santé publique, la prévention et la lutte contre le tabagisme en Algérie accusent de nombreuses lacunes.

Mali: Le Ministre des Finances visite la SONATAM (Société nationale du tabac et allumette du Mali), le Ministre de la Santé discourt à l'OMS

Les préoccupations économiques de rentabilité et de lutte contre la contrebande sont au coeur de la visite, sans aucune mention des questions de santé publique. A rapprocher des résultats de l'enquête sur le tabagisme des jeunes au Mali (résultats en anglais seulement). Pendant ce temps le Ministre de la santé pontifie à Genève auprès de l'OMS: illustration des contradictions au sein d'un même gouvernement.
Source: L'Indépendant

Algérie: fort tabagisme des jeunes et absence de sensibilisation

Un reportage et une analyse publiés dans La Tribune.

Source: LA Tribune

Burkina Faso: il faut appliquer la convention cadre FCTC

Ce mercredi lors d'un point de presse, l'Association "Afrique  contre le tabac" (ACONTA) a appelé le gouvernement du Burina Faso à mettre en application les textes de la convention-cadre de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) contre le tabac, textes que le pays a ratifiés en juillet 2006.

Source: www.french.xinhuanet.com

Malawi: China to invest in tobacco

China is discussing a huge tobacco investment in the African nation of Malawi. This became known after the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to the country, and according to Chinese Ambassador Lin Songtian.

Source: atcri

About Philippe Boucher

I have been actively involved in tobacco control since July 1986. Since 1999 and my arrival in the United States I have been working on line for instance with UICC-Globalink or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that supported my cyberinterviews with advocates from all over the world. 

I have used the internet to disseminate information via blogs and podcasts focused on special themes/issues, like graphic warnings or events like conferences. 

Most recently I have worked with African advocates to help them gain better visibility and get better organized using the internet. I edit the blog Tobacco Control in Africa that aggregates news from all African countries.

I wrote two books about tobacco control: People and issues in tobacco control (2002) and 101 motivations pour arrêter de fumer (2008).

You'll find below links to some of the blogs I helped create and maintain.

February 2009: Blog for Génération Sans Tabac (Conakry - Guinea)

December 2008:  Personal blog for Betty Abah (host of the Tobacco and You radio program), Tobacco Prevalence in Africa

October 2008: blog for COP3 conference, Tobacco Taxes in Africa,

September 2008: blog for INB2 conference

July 2008: blog for the UICC 20008, Cancer World Congress, blog for Thanguy Nzue Obame (Gabon),

December 2007: Blog de l'atelier francophone de Kinshasa, Célestin Zouma (Brazzaville), IMPACT (Initiative Panafricaine),

November 2007: Tobacco & You (Betty Abah, Nigeria), Susie Mbouangouore (Cameroun), Massamba Diouf (Sénégal), Association Aide Solidarité Bénin,

July 2007: Le blog de Patrick Musavuli (Lubumbashi),

June 2007: The conference blog (Bangkok, COP2)

May 2007: Mouvement Anti-Tabac du Sénégal, Blog de l'Association de Santé Publique du Burkina

January 2007: blogs for the 5 african correspondents of Globalink:

Pascal Bogui, Véronique Le Clézio, Francisco Cabo, Adeola Akinremi , Jackie Tumwine.

Blogs for SOS Tabagisme and African News/Nouvelles d'Afrique

Nigeria: BAT's CEO against the FCTC guidelines

'Strict Regulation May Encourage Illegal Tobacco Trade' according to British American Tobacco's Chief Executive, Paul Adams. He has warned that important efforts by governments to reduce the health impact of tobacco could go badly wrong and give illegal and often irresponsible traders and importers of tobacco an avenue to make money, while putting lives at extreme risk.
Source: AllAfrica

Projects supported by the Bloomberg Initiative in Africa (via Tobaccofreekids)

African projects supported by CTFK (as of January 14, 2008 from their site)

Projects are in Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia. The site does not provide details about when the grant was awarded nor how much.

Gambia: an education forum about smokefree public places in the Central River Region

Source: AllAfrica

Algérie: 15.000 décès par an liés au tabac. Il faut appliquer la loi.

Le Pr Nafti Pneumologue au CHU Mustapha Pacha d'Alger a rappelé lors des journées nationales de pneumo-phtisiologie que le tabac était responsable de 15.000 décès par an et qu'il fallait que la loi interdisant de fumer dans le lieux publics soit mieux appliquée.
Source: lemaghrebdz.com

Madagascar: augmentation des taxes sur les cigarettes, stagnation de la consommation

De 94,5 milliards d'ariary en 2007, les taxes sont passées à 102 milliards d'ariary l'an dernier pour l'Imperial Tobacco. Ces résultats sont les conséquences de l'augmentation du droit d'accise stipulé dans la Loi de finances 2008, passé de 135 à 150 ariary.

Quant aux ventes, une stagnation a été constatée. L'effritement du pouvoir d'achat des consommateurs face à la flambée des prix des produits de première nécessité et l'émergence de nouvelles priorités expliquent la situation.
« Les grossistes ont préféré orienter leur trésorerie sur certains produits de première nécessité qui ont disparu temporairement du marché, et donc qui se vendaient mieux. Les cigarettes ont été reléguées au second plan », soutient le responsable auprès de la Promodim.
L'achat des cigarettes est devancé par celui des recharges de crédit.

Lantoniaina Razafindramiadana

Source: L'Express de Madagascar, www.lexpressmada.com

"Lifestyle" diseases saddle poor countries

From the Financial Times.

Algérie: l'espoir d'un vrai programme de lutte contre le tabac

Une information proposée par Mokhtar Hamdi Cherif sur son blog. Ses espoirs sont-ils fondés ou auront-ils le même sort que l'annonce faite en janvier 2008?

Global Youth Tobacco Surveys (GYTS) in Africa: where to get the results? what do they tell?

The Global Youth Tobacco Surveys that took place in African countries can be found on the WHO-Afro website: unfortunately they are only in a pdf format (for now) and in english (for what I could find). To make those figures usable on line it is necessary to transfer the content into an html format. Still if you already want to have a look it is worth a visit. One strange point seems to be the ight percentage of kids who declare using tobacco products that are not cigarettes: what are they if not cigarettes?

For additional contacts with AFRO-WHO

For more information about GYTS

Burkina: inculpation dans le cadre de la tentative d'assassinat d'un représentant de BAT

Le président directeur général du Groupe NESKO, Salif Koussouka Ouédraogo a été mis en examen par la juge d'instruction Rose Ouéadraogo suite à une tentative d'assassinat perpétrée sur le représentant de British American Tobacco ( BAT) au Burkina, Travaly Bandja, dans la nuit du 8 au 9 octobre 2008. Il est en prison depuis le 5 janvier. Une affaire qui suscite beaucoup d'intérêt.

La dépêche annonçant cette décision est fort brève en comparaison du long entretien dans lequel Salif Koussouka -qui doit bénéficier de la présomption d'innocence- dont l'entreprise NESKO détient aujourd'hui le monopole de diffusion de marques BAT au Burkina, s'explique.

Source: L'Observateur

Au Québec, le défi j'arrête j'y gagne fête son dixième anniversaire. Pourquoi pas un défi en Afrique?

Le défi est la version francophone -améliorée à mon avis- du Great American Smoke Out de l'American Cancer Society. A quand une déclinaison Africaine pour mobiliser et aider à l'arrêt?
Source: www.newswire.ca

RDC, Rwanda, South Africa: Mastermind Tobacco CEO accused of evading taxes and financing the war

Several sources, including the latest UN report on the war in the DRC on 10 December 2008 (S/2008/773) have provided evidence that Mastermind CEO, Tribert Ayabatwa Rujiguro has been in touch with rebels involved in the war in DRC.

In all reports, the president of the Master Mind Group, of which Congo Tobacco Company (CTC), based in Goma (East of DRC) and producer of cigarettes Super Match is a subsidiary, is named.

Following a complaint by the authorities of South Africa, the president of the industry that produces the Super Match cigarette in Goma, was arrested in early November in London on the basis of an arrest warrant for "tax evasion" issued by South Africa.

If the judicial procedure followed its normal course, he should be extradited to South Africa to stand trial.
The South Africans would have seized as a precaution a few valuable assets belonging to Master Mind, including an aircraft, houses, vehicles and cash in cash with a value of 58 million rands.

Referring to the Master Mind Group, the Ugandan weekly "The East African" noted in its issue on 5 December 2005 through the "Industry moves to stub out illicit cigarette trade," that this group is the subject of a thorough investigation by Interpol because the manufacturer is considered as the most involved in the fraud that exists in the DRC, Kenya and Uganda.

According to information from Bandundu,one of 11 province of DRC, for more than three years, the company has used false statements of the provincial tax by falsifying documents and declaring in sales and receptions Super Match cigarettes in the province of Bandundu. Worse, it would pay its way or not to pay the provincial tax altogether. According to the governorate of Bandundu, which has in its sights CTC, it has never paid even 10% of what it owed to the province. That, at least, gives a total minimum of U.S. $ 157,000 (One hundred fifty-seven thousand dollars U.S.) as a loss to the province over a period of three years. This, in turn, enabled him to make a huge profit, and maintain prices at the stem of his cigarette to 10 Congolese Franc from 2003 to 2007 despite all the fluctuations in that country (U.S. $ 1 was equal 500 Congolese Francs in 2007).

RDC, Rwanda, Afrique du Sud: Mastermind accusé de fraude fiscale et impliqué dans le financement de la guerre

Patrick Musavuli a communiqué ce dossier sur le Groupe Mastermind et son dirigeant Tribert Rujugiro, proche conseiller du Président Kagame.

Plusieurs sources dont  le dernier rapport des nations unies sur la guerre en RDC du 10 décembre 2008 (S/2008/773) ont fourni des preuves que le dirigeant du Groupe Mastermind qui comprend la Congo Tobacco Company basée à Goma entretient la guerre en RDC et est donc de ce fait responsable des centaines de milliers des déplacés de guerre avec comme conséquences l'insécurité, les violences faites aux femmes et aux enfants, la recrudescence des épidémies tel que le choléra, des centaines des morts.

IDRC and the Access to Information Act: how to obtain information about the management of the ATSA grants funded by the Gates Foundation

The Access to Information Act is a process that allows any Canadian citizen or resident to request that a public organization provides internal documents. Here is how to proceed:

The Canadian citizen, or resident (including his/her name, address, etc... ref to the forms below for the exact personal information to provide) writes to :

International Development Research Centre
Lynne Auger
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
150 Kent Street
P.O. Box 8500
Ottawa, Ontario  K1P 0B2

Dear Lynne I am writing to you under the provisions of the Access to Information Act.

You'll find enclosed a $5 check for the application fee.

I am looking for documents relevant to the management of the grant awarded by the Gates Foundation to IDRC to promote tobacco control in Africa, called African Tobacco Situational Analyses (ATSA).

I prefer to receive copies of the original documents.

I wish to receive copies of :

(For instance)

1. The financial reports relevant to the management of the ATSA grants
2. The documents detailing the amount spent for the administration of the ATSA program.
3. The synthesis of the travel and hospitality expenses related to ATSA
4. The evaluation report(s) if any about the ATSA program

Thank you in advance for your concern

------------------------------

Below are references you can check in case you have doubts about what to do

Access to Information Act
The following procedures should be followed when making a formal request under the Access to Information Act.

• Obtain an Access to Information Request form from the Treasury Board Secretariat web site: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/350-57-eng.asp). If the form is not used, a letter may be sent instead. See the instructions below
• 
  
• Enclose the application fee: An application fee of $5 applies and additional costs may be charged for each request. Applicants will be notified in advance if there are additional costs and if a deposit is required.

  Cheques and money orders are payable to the Receiver General of Canada

• Send the form or the letter (with the check) to the Access to Information Coordinator of the appropriate federal government institution.

Make copies and/or scan the letter or form so you have a proof of what was asked and when it was sent

•  A list of federal government ATIP Coordinators is available at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/atip-aiprp/apps/coords/index-eng.asp.

For IDRC, here is the information about the Coordinator (at the time, better check before sending your request)

International Development Research Centre
Lynne Auger
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
150 Kent Street
P.O. Box 8500
Ottawa, Ontario  K1P 0B2
Telephone: 613-696-2042   Ext.2112
Facsimile: 613-235-6391
[email protected]

If a letter is submitted instead of the Access to Information Request form, the following information must be included:

• statement that the information is being requested under the Access to Information Act:
• name of the appropriate federal government institution;
• description of the records (be as specific as possible);
• preferred method of viewing the records (e.g. receiving photocopies of the original documents or viewing the originals in the government office where they are located);
• name, street, address, city or town, province or territory, postal code, telephone number(s) and signature of the applicant;
• date of request; and
• application fee.

Fees and costs
An application fee of $5 applies and additional costs may be charged for each request. Applicants will be notified in advance if there are additional costs and if a deposit is required.

Cheques and money orders are payable to the Receiver General of Canada with some exceptions.

Time to process a request
Under the Access to Information Act, federal government institutions must acknowledge a request within 30 days, however, in special cases, more time may be needed to process a request. Applicants who feel that it is taking too long to process their requests may submit a complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner (See Section A – Roles and Responsibilities).

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A few links about the procedure


the procedure for information access
http://www.infosource.gc.ca/fed/fed01-eng.asp#Access

the form
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/350-57-eng.asp

pdf format
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/dwnld/350-57-eng.pdf

International Development Research Centre
Lynne Auger
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
150 Kent Street
P.O. Box 8500
Ottawa, Ontario  K1P 0B2
Telephone: 613-696-2042   Ext.2112
Facsimile: 613-235-6391
[email protected]

access to information act
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/showdoc/cs/A-1/bo-ga:s_4-gb:s_4//en#anchorbo-ga:s_4-gb:s_4

loi sur l'acces a l'information
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/fr/showdoc/cs/a-1/bo-ga:s_4::bo-ga:s_13//fr?page=3

atsa english
http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-119375-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

asta french
http://www.idrc.ca/fr/ev-119375-201-1-DO_TOPIC.ht

Results of the Rwanda-National (Ages 13-15) Global Youth Tobacco Survey GYTS

Here are the results of the Rwanda-National (Ages 13-15) Global Youth Tobacco Survey GYTS (pdf document).

The Rwanda-NationalGYTS includes data on prevalence of cigarette and other tobacco use as well as information on five determinants of tobacco use: access/availability and price, exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), cessation, media and advertising, and school curriculum.

Cameroun: British American Tobacco (Bat), a versé plus de 9 milliards Fcfa à la Douane en 2008.

Une soirée spéciale a été organisée à Douala lundi pour célébrer l'atteinte des objectifs de recettes de l'année 2008.Lorsqu'elle entreprend de s'adresser solennellement aux exportateurs, importateurs et autres commissionnaires agréés en Douane, la satisfaction se lit sur le visage de la Directrice générale des Douanes.

Source: www.lexpressplus.com

Lutte contre la contrebande au Burkina Faso: 4600 cartouches de cigarettes saisies

Le Service régional de la police judiciaire (SRPJ) de Bobo-Dioulasso a saisi une grande quantité cigarettes de contrebande, dans la nuit du 30 au 31 décembre 2008.

Source: www.lefaso.net

Sénégal: Pourquoi s'entête-t-on encore de fumer?

Un article de Cherif Faye, publié dans SUD QUOTIDIEN.

Source: www.sudonline.sn