On the 24th October 2018, a high-level stakeholder engagement meeting was held at the Kampala Golden Tulip Hotel, where GCRF tobacco control capacity program and the Center for Tobacco control in Africa (CTCA) launched the tobacco control capacity-building programme (TCCP) in Uganda.
Dr. Hafsa Lukwata, the National Tobacco Control Focal person opened the meeting and emphasized the need for tobacco control training and collaboration in Uganda. During the meeting, Prof. Linda Bauld, the Deputy Director of the UK Center for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, who is also the TCCP Lead Investigator issued a comprehensive global overview of the programme while Kellen Nyamurungi, a Co-Principal Investigator, spoke candidly on the current status of tobacco control in the country. The programme was launched by Mr. Lawrence Bategeka, the Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on National Economy and Member of Parliament for Hoima Municipality, Uganda. Dr. Denis Male presented the TCCP research plan for Uganda which focusses on tobacco taxation, illicit trade, and WHO FCTC Article 5.3 which aims at insulating public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested Interests of the tobacco industry. Going forward, technical working groups will be created to support the development and management of research projects under the TCCP in Uganda.
The key message at the project launch was “Leave the board rooms, go implement the Tobacco Control act”.
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