Tobacco Control in Africa - TCA

Tanzania: Opening of the annual general meeting of the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA)

Supposedly in defense of the interest of the tobacco farmers: ITGA.
Source: ippmedia.com  (about IPPMedia)

Malawi: tobacco versus development

In the FCA bulletin 110 (page 4) Laura Green (Berlin) and Marty Otanez (Denver) sign a very interesting article about the situation in Malawi and how to develop effective strategies to help exploited tobacco farmers.

Picture credit Marty Otanez

Uganda: tobacco farmers are cutting too many trees

interesting article by Ibrahim Kasita on the New Vision site who echoes Lutgard's recent speech about deforestation caused by excessive tree cutting to provide fuel to cure their products. Several districts in the West Nile region plan to make by-laws to protect the forest and and make tree planting compulsory.

Tanzania: Lutgard Kagaruki officially presented with her WHO WNTD 2010 Award.

Lutgard is Executive Secretary of the Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum. Here is how she tells the story: The WHO WNTD 2010 Award was presented to me yesterday 29^th September 2010. It was a very colourful ceremony with more than 250 health experts, development partners and other government officials who had gathered for the Joint Annual Health Sector Review Main Meeting. Family and TTCF members also attended. The Health Minister presented the award after a brief introduction from the WHO country rep.

The report from The Guardian and Lutgard's Acceptance speech.

Diversification for tobacco growers: Is bamboo a solution?

IDRC funded several grants (phase 1, phase 2) to study the possible use of bamboo to replace tobacco. Tobaccotobamboo.org (not tobaccotobamboo.com) is a site devoted to present the research taking place in Kenya. TCA is trying to obtain an update as its results now take a special importance in the context of the present controversy with the International Tobacco Growers Association.

Uganda: how the tobacco farms increase the deforestation

In an article in the East African, Hamina Abdallah describes the gloomy environmental impact of the tobacco farms in Uganda. Apparently BAT declined to comment about those destructive practices.