Tobacco Control in Africa - TCA

Tobaccocontrollaws.org

Tobaccocontrollaws.org is a new site created by TFK's International Legal Consortium to help share information about tobacco control laws. Presently it offers information about 4 African countries: Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius and Seychelles.

Senegal: Methodological workshop on tobacco taxation in West Africa

The CRES has hosted in Dakar a three day workshop (February 22-24) on tobacco taxation in West Africa. Among the participants, Evan Blecher (ACS), Sylviane Ratte (Union), Ebeh Kodjo (ATCA), Noureiny Tcha Kondor (African Consortium), Greg Hallen (IDRC).

Blood cigarettes: cigarette smuggling and war economies in central and eastern Africa

A research paper by Kristof Titeca published in Tobacco Control Journal.

Johannesburg's meeting: Day 3 in the ACS blog

Here is the post about the last day of the Johannesburg's meeting. Was anything concrete and specific decided? We could not tell. Can you? The taboo question we cannot resist to ask, is: How much did that cost?

Ghana: A study of secondhand smoke exposure in selected public places

This research is published in the March 2011 issue of the Tobacco Control Journal. Its conclusion:

" SHS levels were unacceptably high in public places in Ghana where smoking is allowed, despite a relatively low-smoking prevalence in the country. This is one of the first studies to ascertain SHS and hair nicotine in Africa. Levels were comparable to those measured in American, Asian and European countries without or before smoking bans. Implementing a comprehensive smoke-free legislation that protects workers and customers from exposure to secondhand smoke is urgently needed in Ghana."

Source: Tobacco Control Journal

UICC 2008 - Luk Joossens and the Tobacco Control Scale (or Scorecard)

This is a "reprint" of an interview made by Philippe Boucher during the UICC conference that took place in Geneva in september 2008 that was the last podcast posted for Globalink Radio. The tobacco control scale is a key concept that should be used to assess the situation in each African country.

Luk was up early today to be part of a "Challenge the expert" session starting a 7.30 am. We used this opportunity to talk to him.
LISTEN (5 min)

 The initial paper published in the June 2006 issue of Tobacco Control by Martin Raw and Luk Joossens.

The 2007 progress report published in October 2007 (pdf format) lists 30 European countries.
Another useful exercise is for your country to "take the test" and see what your score is on the scale.

A special grant from the Gates Foundation funded the meeting in Johannesburg

There is no mention of the amount of the grant, nor is it posted (at this time) on the Gates Foundation website where the last tobacco control grant mentioned is about a conference financed in Oakland. The first grant allocated in the program, in 2007, was for a conference in Oxford.

Source: January 2011 issue of the African Consortium's Newlsetter.

Does Gates funding of media taint objectivity?

That's the title of this article in the Seattle Times by Sandi Daughton and Kristi Heim. What do you think?

Tobacco Control Publishing workshop in Johannesburg

From the Tobacco Control Journal Blog, this short report about the "publishing workshop" that took place during the recent meeting in Johannesburg. The post does not specify the countries nor the names of the participants involved but for the organizers, Ruth Malone and Stella Aguinaga Bialous.

Zambia: 5 ATCA representatives visit Lusaka with the financial support of the Norwegian Cancer Society

ATCA informs us that 5 representatives are going to visit Lusaka from February 15 to February 17 to "meet the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) authorities, health authorities, WHO representative, journalists and other TC stakeholders of the region".

Taboo question: how much does this trip cost?

Botswana: school boys smoking, a cause for concern

This article in Mmegionline.

Day 2 of the ATSA meeting in Johannesburg - on Cancerblogs

This post on Cancerblogs presents Day 2 of the ATSA meeting.

Day 1 of the ATSA meeting in Johannesburg - on the ATCC site

A summary of the first day of the ATSA meeting on the ATCC site.

Day 1 of the ATSA meeting in Johannesburg - on Cancerblogs

The blog of the ACS has this post of the first day of the ATSA meeting. 

NGOs and the party line

NGOs are funny and sometimes a bit schizophrenic: for as much rhetoric (and maybe even actual practice)around valuing diverse input, free market place of ideas, and so on *in the context of communities where we work*, in my experience they are (typically) incredibly *in*tolerant of diverse opinion internally. If you don’t toe the party line of your employing NGO’s paradigm on… whatever, or if you simply express an opinion contrary to the happy in-house propaganda, you can be in for a world of hurt.

Source: Free the Aid Bloggers

Kenya: What is it like to be a pregnant woman farming tobacco?

A short video by Marty Otanez. Produced with the support of Women for Justice in Africa and the International Labor Rights Forum.