The International Legal Consortium at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (ILC), the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) and the South African National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) held a Legal Seminar on Measures to Implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Johannesburg, South Africa from 13th to 18th May 2012.Sixteen English-speaking African lawyers and one tobacco control focal point representative from government and civil society representing ten countries participated in the legal seminar. The countries represented include: Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, and Zambia.

The seminar was designed to create a network of lawyers and increase the capacity of this core group of lawyers to work on tobacco control and subsequently provide legal support for effective tobacco control nationally and regionally in Africa as well as internationally.  The seminar focused on implementing domestic legal measures that align with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) with a focus on specific policy areas including:

• Protecting tobacco control measures from the influence and interference of the tobacco industry;
• Creating 100% smoke-free indoor public and workplace environments;
• Introducing a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship;
• Developing effective packaging and labeling requirements.

While many of the participants from government are in the process of drafting or reviewing tobacco control legislation, most reported that they had gained their tobacco control knowledge through self-teaching prior to the seminar.  As revealed through informal and formal evaluations of the seminar, their understanding of the harms caused by tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke, the requirements of the  FCTC and  its guidelines for implementation, tobacco industry tactics, and the key components of effective, FCTC-compliant legislation increased substantially as a result of their participation in the seminar. All of the participants have also registered for the ILC’s web-based Lawyer’s Forum at www.tobaccocontrollaws.org and indicated that they are looking forward to staying connected with each other and the International Legal Consortium. 

Please download the final report on SA seminar here

The World No Tobacco Day 2012 was marked this Thursday, May 31, 2012 in Togo by a panel discussion on the theme of the day which is “Tobacco industry interference”. Organized by The African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), the Alliance Nationale des Consommateurs et de l’Environnement (ANCE-Togo) and the Tobacco Control Journalists Network in Togo (REJAT-Togo), the panel discussion aimed at raising awareness of policy makers and the population on the tactics of the tobacco industry to interfere in the adoption and implementation of tobacco control policies in the country.

The opening ceremony of this panel discussion, which was attended by representatives of various ministries, international organizations, NGOs and the media, was presided over by the Togolese Minister of Health, Professor Charles Kondi AGBA.  In his speech, Professor AGBA raised the damages caused by tobacco use in Togo and worldwide. “Tobacco kills one person every six seconds and almost six million people each year in the world”, said Prof AGBA. According to him, this situation has led the Togolese government to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in November 2005 and to adopt a national law on production, marketing and consumption of tobacco and its derivatives in December 2010. “Unfortunately, these legislative tools and the national tobacco control policy are constantly undermined by the industry”, said the Minister of Health. “But the government will continue to work with the World Health Organization’s representation in Togo and the civil society organizations in order to assure a complete implementation of the FCTC and the national tobacco control bill”, added Mr. AGBA. Prior to the speech of the Minister of Health, the WHO Representative in Togo, Dr Pierre Mpele, in his speech said that "there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and public health policy interest." "That's why I appreciate the willingness of the highest authorities of Togo in the implementation of the FCTC”, he added. Dr Pierre Mpele said that the representation of the World Health Organization in Togo will continue to support the government in all the effort to protect the population against all the aggressive tactics of the tobacco industry.

In his welcome note, the Executive Secretary of the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), Mr. Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice thanked the government, civil society organizations and the media for all what is done for tobacco control in Togo. According to him, "Tobacco kills and the tobacco industry should immediately stop all sorts of machinations to undermine health policies".
This opening ceremony was followed by two presentations by the Executive Secretary of ATCA.  The first presentation was on the WHO Framework Convention on tobacco control (FCTC). According to Mr. Ebeh, "the FCTC is the first coordinated global effort to reduce tobacco consumption." Today, this convention has 175 parties and only four African countries have not yet ratified it. After recalling the objectives of the FCTC, Mr. Ebeh noted that "it includes a set of measures to reduce supply and demand of tobacco worldwide." This include tax measures, advertising ban, ban of sponsorship and promotion by tobacco companies, graphic warnings, 100% smoke free places etc. Togo has ratified the FCTC on November 15, 2005 and adopted the tobacco control act on December 29, 2010. According to Mr. Ebeh, "this political will of the Togolese authorities should continue with a strict application of this law" because, "against the danger of tobacco consumption, we know what works and we have the necessary tools for the fight."

The second presentation was on the theme of the World No Tobacco Day 2012: “Tobacco Industry Interference”. In this presentation, Mr. Ebeh exposed in details all the tactics and strategies used by the industry to undermine the implementation of tobacco control programs. This include infiltration of the national assembly and other government offices to submit its own version of legal tools, intimidation of authorities, signing of agreements with customs and other governmental offices, corruption of government officials etc. According to Mr. Ebeh, Article 28 of the national tobacco bill aims at combating these practices. This article states that «Any employee or representative of the State who violates the provisions of this law by becoming the accomplice of a manufacturer, importer or distributor of tobacco or its derivative products, by participating, authorizing or accepting illicit trade of such products is punishable by imprisonment of three (03) months to two (02) years and a fine of one million (1,000,000) to ten million (10,000,000) FCFA, or only one of these penalties.» In his conclusion, ATCA Executive Secretary strongly appealed to government officials to stand against the influence and interference of the tobacco industry in the implementation of the national tobacco control policies. The celebration of the World No Tobacco Day 2012 in Togo went on with many live broadcasts in the media.  

During their visit to the headquarters of the Commission of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the members of the delegation of the Pan-African organization for tobacco control in Africa, the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) met on July 7, 2011 with the media and some authorities including the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health in Burkina Faso and the FCTC Focal Point at the country office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The press conference took place in the conference room of the Pacific Hotel in Ouagadougou. It was attended by over 20 journalists who were briefed on issues related to tobacco control by the ATCA Executive Secretary, Mr. Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice, the Honorary President of ACONTA, Dr. Sidi Mohamed and the Representative of UACT, M. Koanda Jean Etienne. After thanking the media for the dynamic and supportive role they played in the adoption of the tobacco control bill in Burkina Faso in November 2010, the ATCA Executive Secretary presented an overview of the damages caused by tobacco in Africa. He then highlighted the key objectives of ATCA advocacy campaign towards regional and sub-regional organizations namely the inclusion of tobacco control in development agendas, including in the documents of strategy against poverty.

«It is precisely for these reasons that we are here today to meet with authorities of the West African Economic and Monetary Union because, it is high time to take urgent measures in the sub-region», said Mr. Ebeh. He also outlined the tobacco control priority actions for which ATCA is advocating towards the authorities of WAEMU namely health warnings in local languages ​​and pictorial warnings that must cover at least 50% or 100% of cigarette packs, increasing of the floor of tobacco taxation in the Union, a total ban on tobacco advertising and banning of smoking in all public places.

After the opening statement by the ATCA Executive Secretary, the journalists asked several questions related to tobacco control in Africa in general and in the WAEMU area in particular. Mr. Ebeh and the other facilitators of the meeting gave specific answers to these questions and the journalists were enlightened by the quality of the information they got. The conference ended on a note of satisfaction and the journalists promised to set up a national network of journalists and media people in tobacco control in Burkina Faso.

Furthermore, the ATCA delegation, accompanied by Dr. Sidi Mohamed, Honorary President of ACONTA was received by the Tobacco Control Focal Point at the WHO Office in Burkina Faso, Professor Jean-Gabriel Ouango. The ATCA Executive Secretary discussed with Professor Jean-Gabriel on issues related to the objectives of the visit of ATCA to the WAEMU and how to promote tobacco control in Burkina Faso. In his response, Professor Ouango promised as part of their mandate to assist governments that, WHO will continue its advocacy towards the Ministry of Health and the National Assembly of Burkina Faso for the implementation of the tobacco control bill.

The ATCA delegation also met with the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health in Burkina Faso. The purpose of this meeting was to congratulate the government of Burkina Faso for the adoption of a tobacco control legislation and express the hope of its implementation through the adoption of implementing decrees. Then, the delegation wished the effective involvement of the Ministry of Health in the advocacy process for the promotion of tobacco control in the WAEMU zone.

A high level delegation of the Pan-African organization and leader in tobacco control in Africa, the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) met on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, representatives of twenty NGOs active in tobacco control in the country, and all members of the continental network.

This meeting is part of the development and consolidation of alliances between NGOs in Tobacco Control in Africa. The ATCA delegation was led by its Executive Secretary, Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice Ph.D and included among others, Mr. Tcha-Kondor Nouréiny, Taxation Campaign Coordinator and Sagna Mamadou Bamba, Development Campaign Coordinator as well as facilitators who are Dr Sidi Mohamed, Honorary Chair of ACONTA and Mrs. Ki-Ouédraogo Salimata, Coordinator of «Union des Associations de Lutte contre le Tabac au Burkina Faso» (UACT). The meeting held in conjunction with the mission of the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) to the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Commission, took place at Pacific Hotel located on Avenue de l’UEMOA in Ouagadougou. Twenty NGOs members working on tobacco control in Burkina Faso attended the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to reinvigorate the civil society in Burkina Faso, enhance collaboration between tobacco control stakeholders and identify the priority actions for tobacco control in the country. The following points were discussed during the meeting:

- The mission of ATCA to the WAEMU Commission;

- The partnership and cooperation strengthening between NGOs;
 
- The priority actions of NGOs for tobacco control in Burkina Faso;

- The support of ATCA to the implementation of these actions.

On the first point, namely the mission of ATCA to the WAEMU commission, the Executive Secretary Mr. Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice in his speech said that the goal of the visit to the WAEMU headquarters was «to discuss with experts of the Union important matters of legislative and regulatory frameworks for tobacco control in the WAEMU zone, problems related to the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, modern principles of tobacco taxation in the world and the need to integrate tobacco control into the development agendas of the region». Participants welcomed this initiative and supported the points on the agenda for discussions.

On the second point related to partnership and cooperation strengthening between tobacco control NGOs in Burkina Faso, the ATCA Executive Secretary recommended to NGOs the spirit of collaboration and partnership between them. He urged them to always promote such cooperation by working together for the implementation of the FCTC in their country. «We need to always keep in mind the common objectives we set and work in unity», he said. Participants welcomed the message and promised to strengthen the fruitful cooperation already existing between them.

On the third point, namely the priority actions of NGOs for tobacco control in Burkina Faso, members of the civil society in their unanimity, have chosen the following priority actions:

- Lobbying and advocacy for the adoption of decrees specifying how the Law No. 25/2011 on Tobacco Control in Burkina Faso should be enforced;

- Popularization of the law and its implementing regulations;

- Capacity building of stakeholders in the implementation of the law;

- Monitoring of the implementation of the tobacco control legislation;

- Advocacy for the integration of tobacco control into development agendas;

- Advocacy for an adequate policy of tobacco taxation.

Finally on the fourth and final point, namely the support of ATCA for the implementation of these priority actions in Burkina Faso, the ATCA Executive Secretary, after informing the members of the different NGOs of funding opportunities for tobacco control in Africa, invited them to explore these opportunities. ATCA will also work with partners towards fund raising to support the actions of NGOs in the country in order for them to continue lobbying WAEMU.

The twenty NGO representatives present at the meeting, reaffirmed their commitment to work towards the advance of tobacco control in the country and also to support ATCA, the Pan-African organization and leader in tobacco control in Africa. Dr Sidi Mohamed and Mrs. KI Salimata, respectively Honorary Chair of «Afrique Contre le Tabac» (ACONTA) and Coordinator of «Union des Associations de Lutte contre le Tabac au Burkina Faso» (UACT)  have in turn thanked the Executive Secretary of ATCA for the organization of this important meeting which was a great success.

A high level delegation of the Pan-African organization and leader in tobacco control in Africa, the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) met on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 with the leaders of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), which is an organization of economic integration comprising eight (08) francophone countries in West Africa and headquartered in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The meeting took place in the prestigious meeting room of the Council of Ministers of the Union in Ouagadougou. The visit of ATCA delegation to the WAEMU headquarters is in the framework of the implementation of the Project on Development Campaign which aims at promoting the integration of tobacco control in the agenda of regional organizations in Africa. This project is fully funded by the Norwegian Cancer Society (NCS).

The ATCA mission's main objective was to discuss with the authorities of WAEMU on important issues related to tobacco control such as the legislative and regulatory framework for tobacco control in the WAEMU zone, the problems related to the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the modern principles of tobacco taxation in the world and the need for integration of tobacco control in development agendas.

Specifically, the trip aimed at bringing the authorities of the West AfricanEconomic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) to:

- Include tobacco control in their agendas and programs including the Regional Strategy to Reduce Poverty in West Africa;

- Take a regional guideline for pictorial health warnings on at least 50% of the two main faces of the packages, building on the Directive 2001/37/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 5 June 2001 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products;
 
- Revise the Directive 03/99/CM/UEMOA of March 22, 2009 in order to retain a minimum tax of 45% and give member states the opportunity to fix higher rates of tobacco taxation in order to meet the objectives of the Convention .

The ATCA delegation was led by the Executive Secretary, Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice, Ph.D and was composed of Dr. Sidi Mohamed, Honorary Chair of «Afrique contre le Tabac» (ACONTA) and former member of ATCA Board, the Honorable Koffi Santy Sany Adade, Member of the Togolese National Assembly, Member of ECOWAS Parliament and former Minister of Environment in Togo, Mrs. KI/Salimata Ouedraogo, Coordinator of «Union des Associations de Lutte contre le Tabac au Burkina Faso» (UACT), Mr. Tcha-Kondor Nouréiny, Taxation Campaign Coordinator at ATCA and Mr. Sagna Mamadou Bamba, Development Campaign Coordinator at ATCA.

The WAEMU delegation included Mr. Christopher DABIRE, Commissioner in charge of the Department of Regional Market, Trade, Competition and Cooperation, Mr. Abdul-Azizou Barmou Batouri, Technical Advisor to the Commissioner, Corneille Traoré, PhD, Director of the Department of Social and Cultural Development, and Mr. Habassi Habasso Traore, in charge of fiscal matters.

Three presentations were made by members of ATCA delegation at the meeting and addressed the following issues:

- Tobacco and Poverty in West Africa;

- The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and its guidelines;

- The priority areas for action.

On the first point, namely Tobacco and Poverty in West Africa, Dr. Sidi Mohamed said that the tobacco epidemic is growing very fast in sub-Saharan Africa at a rate of 4.3% per year. In the WAEMU zone, the fast increase of tobacco consumption prevalence is a major problem for countries. He said that «the various reports of investigations of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) revealed that tobacco use is increasing rapidly among young people and especially among girls». There is therefore a need for urgent actions to curb the spread of tobacco epidemic.

In the second presentation, Ebeh Fabrice P.D, recalled that the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was adopted under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its purpose, according Article 3 «to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke by providing a framework for tobacco control measures to be implemented by the Parties at the national, regional and international levels in order to reduce continually and substantially the prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke». He noted that this convention has been ratified by 173 countries including all the WAEMU countries. He said the FCTC sets out specific steps that governments must take the fight against tobacco use. Speaking of health warnings with graphic images, Mr. Ebeh said that «good examples of implementation of the FCTC exist in the world and in Africa. The WAEMU countries can therefore follow these good examples so that they will not remain on the sidelines of this global process». He gave the examples of Uruguay, which requires graphic images covering 80% of the two main faces of cigarette packs, Canada (75%), Australia (100% of both sides), Mauritius (65%), Madagascar, and many other countries.

The third presentation was made by the Honorable Koffi Santy Sany Adade, Member of the Togolese National Assembly, Member of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and also former Minister of the Environment in Togo. He focused on priority actions in the WAEMU zone. They are:

- Adoption of community regulations to implement health warnings;

- Increase of the minimum tobacco tax in the WAEMU zone;

- Integration of tobacco control in the development agendas of ECOWAS and WAEMU;

- Total ban of tobacco advertising in the WAEMU zone.

WAEMU authorities warmly welcomed the messages conveyed by members of ATCA delegation and expressed strong support for working towards the implementation of the FCTC in the Community. They hoped that contact will be maintained between the two parties so that ATCA will assist WAEMU with technical support in the implementation of priority actions proposed. WAEMU officials have also provided very clear explanations on the WAEMU modes of referrals to advance the implementation of these priority actions and expressed their willingness to work with ACTA to do so. They then requested that a status report on the legal framework is made to show what was done and what remains to be done and that justifies the proposed priority actions. They brought to the attention of ATCA delegation that Togo has a role to play in advancing this issue at WAEMU level as the Chairman of the WAEMU Inter Parliamentary Committee is a Togolese and the Conference of Heads of States and Governments is actually headed by the Togolese President.

WAEMU was created on January 10, 1994 by the Conference of Heads of State and Governments of seven countries in West Africa which have a common currency, the CFA franc. These countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Sénégal and Togo. On May 02, 1997, Guinée-Bissau became the 8th Member State of the Union.

A capacity building workshop on tobacco control for journalists and NGO members was held in Freetown, Sierra Leone on 27^th and 28^th June 2011. The overall objective of the training was to give participants the tools to make good use of media in advocating for tobacco control in Sierra Leone. Organized by the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) and the African Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI) with the financial support of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK), this workshop was held in the framework of the implementation of the project on “Building Media Capacity for Tobacco Control in seven African countries.” This project is implemented by ATCA for over a year now and has already enabled the training of more than 210 journalists and members of NGOs in seven African countries.

The workshop in Sierra Leone was held at the British Council in Freetown and was attended by 25 journalists and four members of NGOs. The opening ceremony was marked by several interventions. The Chair of the Board of Directors of Action For Development - Sierra Leone Elizabeth Sam thanked ATCA and other partners for the initiative for this workshop. According to her, "actions must be intensified in order to obtain a law specifically dedicated to tobacco control”. “We really need it after the ratification of the FCTC by our country in 2010." In the same vein, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Tobacco Control Alliance Mr. Issah Ali justified the holding of this meeting by the devastating effects of tobacco consumption. "12% of our youth smoke and we cannot continue looking at future generations go to perdition" he said.  In this sense, Mr. Issah said that "the media and NGOs are key actors in the fight against tobacco." As for the Tobacco Control focal point at the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health, Mr. Sahr Hamor, "We have a good political will in our country. Our government is making efforts. So we must accompany authorities for more actions." He reassured the participants of the support from the Ministry of Health in all their efforts.

  This workshop had three main objectives:
 
- Strengthen the capacities of journalists and NGOs on the FCTC and tobacco control;
 
- Foster a synergy of actions between partners involved in tobacco control in Sierra Leone;
 
- Identify and create a pool of journalists specially dedicated to tobacco control in the country.

The workshop lasted two days and was characterized by presentations, role plays, group works and restitutions. The different sessions were facilitated by MM. Issah Ali, Chairman of ATCA, Atakouna Blaise, Communication Officer of ACTA, Tih Ntiabang Armstrong, Media Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ATCRI and Ms. M'balu Sesay, Programs Director at "Action For Development-Sierra Leone.”

IOn the first day, the presentations focused on the impact of tobacco on health, economy and environment, the FCTC and obligations of Parties, the main components of a tobacco control law with regards to the FCTC, strategies of the industry, links between tobacco, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and techniques of mainstreaming tobacco in news coverage.

The second day was devoted to how to make effective use of media for advocacy in the field of tobacco control as well as the different strategies and techniques for good reporting on tobacco control. During the group works and plenary sessions, participants raised several concerns to which the facilitators have provided answers. These include how to communicate effectively on the provisions of the FCTC, how to have true and fair information on tobacco and how to involve editors of newspapers in the fight against tobacco so as to increase the number of articles published by journalists . Participants also exchanged views on the creation of a journalists network for tobacco control in Sierra Leone. Following these discussions, they decided to create a network named «Media Alliance for Tobacco Control Sierra Leone». They set up an interim committee of 8 members responsible for conducting all the preliminary steps leading to the institutionalization of the network. This committee is headed by Mr. Daniel Moseray, a journalist at the Sierra Leonean public television SLBC. Certificates of participation were distributed to journalists at the end of the work. The participants also requested the facilitators for the animation of several television and radio programs on various topics related to tobacco control.

The World No Tobacco Day 2011 was marked this Tuesday, May 31, 2011 in Togo by a conference with debate on the theme of the day which is “The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).” Organized by The African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), the Alliance Nationale des Consommateurs et de l’Environnement (ANCE-Togo), and the Journalists Network for Tobacco Control in Togo (REJAT), the conference with debate which was held at Hotel IBIS in Lome, aimed at raising awareness of policy makers about the need to implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

The opening ceremony of this conference which was attended by representatives of various ministries, international organizations, NGOs and the media was marked by several speeches. In his opening remarks, the ATCA Executive Secretary, Mr. Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice stressed the importance of the FCTC today in the promotion of health through the struggle against the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. "Tobacco kills, the FCTC is the solution and whoever implements it saves lives," he said. He thanked the government through the Ministry of Health for its commitment and determination in the implementation of the FCTC.

According to the WHO Representative in Togo, Dr Pierre Mpele, "tobacco is the leading cause of preventable illness, disability and death worldwide." "That's why I appreciate the willingness of the highest authorities of Togo in the implementation of the FCTC," he said.

In opening the proceedings of this meeting on behalf of the Minister of Health, the Director General of Health, Dr. Dogbe Sika reiterated the importance of World No Tobacco Day. He thanked WHO, ATCA and ANCE-Togo for their support to the government in tobacco control in Togo. "The tobacco epidemic requires action and we are working with the civil society and partners for practical actions to be undertaken in the fight against this scourge," he concluded before declaring open the events marking the celebration of the World No Tobacco Day in Togo.

This opening ceremony was followed by two presentations.  The first entitled "The impacts of tobacco consumption" was presented by Doctor Djagadou Kodjo from "La Reference" clinic in Lomé. In his speech, the speaker dwelt on the strategies of the tobacco industry in order "to sell a noxious and toxic product", before raising that "in Togo, the health, social, economic and environmental losses due to tobacco use are enormous."  "Cooperation between different actors is needed to defeat this scourge", he said.

The second presentation focused on "The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)" and was chaired by the ACTA Executive Secretary, Mr Ebeh Kodjo Fabrice. According to him "the FCTC is the first coordinated global effort to reduce tobacco consumption. "Today, this convention has 172 parties and only four African countries have not yet ratified it. After recalling the objectives of the FCTC, Mr. Ebeh noted that "it includes a set of measures to reduce supply and demand of tobacco worldwide." Togo has ratified the FCTC on November 15, 2005 and adopted the tobacco control act on December 29, 2010. According to Mr. Ebeh, "the political will of the Togolese authorities should continue with a strict application of this law" because, "against the danger of tobacco consumption, we know what works and we have the necessary tools for the fight." These two presentations were followed by discussions on all the issues relating to the theme of the World No Tobacco Day and the implementation of the FCTC and the tobacco control act in Togo.

In the framework of the implementation of the project on building media capacity on tobacco control, the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) with the financial support of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) is still organizing workshops in african countries. The journalists and NGOs training in Gabon was held at the head office of the Gabonese journalists Network for Population from the 15th to 16th March 2011. 18 journalists and 8 NGO members attended this workshop. The opening ceremony was presided over by the tobacco control Focal Point at the Gabonese Ministery of Health, Dr. Alphonse Louma Eyougah. He reminded participants that Gabon ratified the FCTC in 2009 and a tobacco control bill is actually being prepared. For this bill to be passed by the parliament there is a need of strong advocacy campaigns. Journalists and NGOs can thus be very useful in this process. This is why he thanked ATCC for this workshop and asked participants to carefully follow the presentations in the agenda of this workshop. After these opening remarks, there was a presentation on the objectives of this workshop. The workshop aimed at the following objectives:

• Raise the level of awareness on the FCTC and tobacco control policy in Gabon.
• Enhance journalists and NGOs capacities on tobacco control in Gabon.
• Facilitate alliance building amongst different tobacco control stakeholders in Gabon.
• Identify and create a pool of journalists and NGOs with special dedication to tobacco control issues in the country.
• Create an opportunity to enhance relationships between tobacco control advocates and the media in Gabon.

The workshop was conducted in two days and was characterized by presentations in the form of lectures, plenary sessions and group works.

The first day focused on facts about tobacco and its impact on health, economy and environment; policy, the FCTC and obligations of parties; the links between tobacco, MDGs and NCDs; the strategies of the tobacco industry and techniques for mainstreaming tobacco in news coverage. The second day was focused on media advocacy, elements of good reporting, the use of statistics in writing tobacco control stories, the necessity of a collaboration between journalists and NGOs in tobacco control activities in Gabon and the different opportunities offered by ATCC to journalists and NGOs i.e. Tobacco Control Journalists Network Grants and Tobacco Control Action Grants.

At the end of this workshop, participants promised through their recommandations to undertake the following actions:

• Write and publish more stories on tobacco control in Gabon
• Maintain good relationships between journalists and NGOs so as to unable better tobacco control actions.
• Strongly advocate to make the tobacco control bill passed by the Gabonese parliament.
• Assist the gabonese governement in all tobacco control actions which will be undertaken

Closing the workshop on behalf of the Minister of health, Dr. Alphonse Louma, Focal Point for tobacco control in Gabon encouraged media practitioners to intensify their reporting in tobacco control so as to raise the awareness of the population and decision makers on the devastating effects of tobacco. The President of “People’s Health Movement-Gabon” Mr Tanguy Nzue Obame invited media practitioners to be professional in reporting on tobacco control matters, especially in this period when there is a tobacco control bill pending.