The alarming rate and impunity with which the tobacco industry and its promoters visibilise tobacco products and smoking in the virtual space requires the urgent attention of relevant agencies of government if we must save the next generation of young Nigerians. The images, videos and skits of celebrities smoking like chimney and glamourising their acts...
Despite the efforts of authorities, illicit cigarettes in their millions are filtering into South Africa, sidestepping tax and customs levies. Edward Kieswetter, the commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), said: “The country is battling the scourge of illicit cigarettes smuggled from a neighbouring country, with a view to not only displace legitimate manufacturers...
Tobacco use kills about 9,000 Kenyans every year through diseases such as cancer, the Ministry of Health says. In Summary • Head of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance Joel Gitali, who won the award last year, congratulated the winners. • Kenyan law stipulates a need for an alternative to tobacco production that protects farmers. A villager who helps...
With the absence of regulations in South Africa, e-cigarette use is increasing among youths, perpetuating nicotine addiction and leading some of them to start smoking traditional cigarettes. here have recently been misleading calls for South Africa to adopt the Swedish model of regulating e-cigarettes, a model positioned by tobacco-industry supported organisations as making alternative products widely available,...
The initiative, supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in cooperation with the Kenyan authorities, is helping to “move the needle” on ending the global tobacco epidemic, said WHO. Kenya is the first country to participate in the scheme, which offers training to tobacco farmers so that they...
Nairobi - Hundreds of farmers in Migori County, Kenya will break free from risky tobacco farming and transition to producing more sustainable crops, through the Tobacco-Free Farms Project being launched today. Tobacco-Free Farms project is a joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the...
Farmer Reginald Omulo walks between rows of healthy maize and beans, stopping to admire what he has planted. Like many farmers in Uriri Sub-county, Migori County, Kenya, Omulo used to cultivate tobacco. But no longer. He is now passionate about his family’s shift to grow alternative crops, confident that their hard work will be the foundation for...
The Federal Government has confirmed plans to increase excise tax on tobacco products from 30 per cent ad-valorem to 50 per cent as part of measures to control tobacco smoking in the country. Speaking on Tuesday, Dr Mangai Malau, the Head of the Tobacco Control Unit, Noncommunicable Disease Division, Federal Ministry of Health, said the...
Ministry of Health in collaboration with Development Gateway has launched the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) dashboard through the Division of Tobacco Control. Speaking on Wednesday, Health Director General Patrick Amoth said that the policy makers in Kenya will now have a powerful tool at their disposal to drive evidence-based decision making and support efforts...
The Nigerian government has said it will increase the tax imposed on tobacco products from the current 30 to 50 per cent in order to meet the World Health organization (WHO) standard and curb smoking in the country. Dr Mangai Malau, Head, Tobacco Control Unit, Noncommunicable Disease Division, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health disclosed this...
