Africa at the crossroads of tobacco control

If trends continue, by 2030 tobacco use will cause eight million deaths per year and 80% of these will be in the developing world, the World Health Organization estimates. Presently, almost one billion men and 250 million women are daily smokers. 50% of men and 9% of women in developing countries smoke.  At the moment, 4.9 million people die per year, 13,400 people per day and 560 people every hour. The problem of tobacco consumption across Africa is increasing sharply in response to the marketing onslaught by multinational tobacco companies, seeking to compensate their loss of sales in wealthier countries by exploiting new opportunities in Africa. The WHO in its 2004 report says: “Tobacco control, rather than being a luxury that only rich nations can afford, is now a necessity that all countries must address”

Faced with this global threat, international leaders in cancer and tobacco control announced on 16 November in Durban, South Africa the launch of an unprecedented multinational effort to promote more aggressive tobacco control measures across sub-Saharan Africa. The Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI) aims at promoting the adoption, implementation and enforcement of an in-country tobacco control policies, legislations and programs. ATCRI will also provide a platform for information sharing, institutional support and capacity building amongst all tobacco-control stakeholders within the continent.

John King, Cancer Research UK’s director said “…we recognize that while we in the UK have had some success in reducing the burden of tobacco addiction, our success has meant the tobacco industry has moved to develop new markets elsewhere around the world. In a sense, the west has exported the tobacco epidemic to Africa. The fight against tobacco is a global one without borders and we wish ATCRI every success.”

The launch of this African initiative comes as the World Health Organization hosts the third Conference of the Parties of the WHO-initiated Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Durban from 17-22 November. The WHO FCTC is the world’s first global public health treaty, ratified by more than 160 nations (about 80% of the world’s population), amongst which Cameroon. It requires parties to adopt a comprehensive range of measures designed to protect present and future generations from the devastating, health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. 

Faced with this global threat, international leaders in cancer and tobacco control announced on 16 November in Durban, South Africa the launch of an unprecedented multinational effort to promote more aggressive tobacco control measures across sub-Saharan Africa. The Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI) aims at promoting the adoption, implementation and enforcement of an in-country tobacco control policies, legislations and programs. ATCRI will also provide a platform for information sharing, institutional support and capacity building amongst all tobacco-control stakeholders within the continent.

John King, Cancer Research UK’s director said “…we recognize that while we in the UK have had some success in reducing the burden of tobacco addiction, our success has meant the tobacco industry has moved to develop new markets elsewhere around the world. In a sense, the west has exported the tobacco epidemic to Africa. The fight against tobacco is a global one without borders and we wish ATCRI every success.”

The launch of this African initiative comes as the World Health Organization hosts the third Conference of the Parties of the WHO-initiated Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Durban from 17-22 November. The WHO FCTC is the world’s first global public health treaty, ratified by more than 160 nations (about 80% of the world’s population), amongst which Cameroon. It requires parties to adopt a comprehensive range of measures designed to protect present and future generations from the devastating, health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.