Strengthening the tobacco control community through webinars
Over the past decade, actions have been taken to raise public awareness and outrage on the dangers of smoking. African countries are increasingly accelerating efforts to protect their citizens from the dangers of tobacco by adopting and implementing policies in line with the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
In its effort to support the implementation of the FCTC, ATCA has launched a series of webinars to promote the sharing of experiences and good practices in tobacco control initiatives in Africa.
Understanding and dealing with the maneuvers of the tobacco industry and the PMI-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.
Date: April 29, 2019
Moderator: Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, Chairperson of the ATCA Board of Directors
Resource persons:
- Pr. Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, Professor of Public Health and Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research, Postgraduate studies & Innovation at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
- Dr. Ahmed OGWELL OUMA, International Public Health Consultant and Deputy Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
Prompted by multiple activities by tobacco multinationals and the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World to promote new technology tobacco products under the guise of tobacco harm reduction, this webinar enlightened advocates on various tobacco industry strategies, and proposed actions to counter them.
Africa Tobacco Control Talks: The Case of Kenya
Date: 26 September 2019
Moderator: Caleb Ayong, ATCA Communication Officer
Resource Persons:
- Dorcas Kiptui, Head of the Tobacco Control Division at the Kenyan Ministry of Health
- Joel Gitali, Chairman of the Kenyan Tobacco Control Alliance (KETCA)
The "Africa Tobacco Control Talks" webinar series aims to foster the sharing of best practices and success stories in tobacco control in Africa. Through these webinars, tobacco control stakeholders are inspired, motivated and equipped to deal with the tobacco industry's increasingly frequent maneuvers. This webinar focused on the Kenyan experience.
Africa Tobacco Control Talks: The Case of Senegal
Date: 28 November 2019
Moderator: Mr. Daouda Elhadj Adam, Francophone Africa Coordinator for the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA)
Resource persons:
- Dr. Oumar Ba, Onco-Pneumologist and Coordinator of the National Tobacco Control Programme at the Ministry of Health of Senegal.
- Dr. Abdoul Aziz Kassé, Oncologist and President of « Association Prévenir ».
This second webinar in the Africa Tobacco Control Talks series enlightened participants on good practices and successes in tobacco control in Senegal.
Africa Tobacco Control Talks: Tobacco Control from the point of view of World No Tobacco Day 2020 Awardees
Date: 22 July 2020
Moderator: Dr Roger CIZA
Resource persons:
- Rachel Devotsu, Regional Coordinator for Africa - McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, Kenya
- Pr. Kumako Vinyo Kodzo, Head of the National Tobacco Control Program - Ministry of Public Health and Hygiene, Togo
- Mr. Wondu Bekele, Executive Director - Mathiwos Wondu Cancer Society, Ethiopia
- Ms. Robinah Kaitiritimba, Executive Director - Uganda National Health Users’/Consumers’ Organization, Uganda
- Mr. Aboubacar Hamidou, Administrative Secretary - Réseau de Lutte contre le Tabac et autres Stupéfiants (RELUTAS), Mali
This webinar brought together winners of the World No Tobacco Day 2020 award in the Afro region to discuss their tobacco control experiences and share ideas on common tobacco control challenges in the continent. It was organized in collaboration with the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) and the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (KETCA).
Africa Tobacco Control Talks: Making Tobacco Control Policies Work for Africa.
Date: 26 August 2020
Moderator: Belinda Moses
Resource persons:
- Rachel Devotsu, Regional Coordinator for Africa - McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, Kenya
- Pr. Kumako Vinyo Kodzo, Head of the National Tobacco Control Program - Ministry of Public Health and Hygiene, Togo
Discussions in this second edition of the webinar series with winners of the WNTD 2020 awards, focused specifically on prioritizing tobacco control in Africa, sustaining tobacco control efforts, the importance of evidence, as well as collaboration and experience sharing on tobacco control issues in the continent.
Africa Tobacco Control Talks: COVID-19 and Tobacco Control – Findings from a rapid response project
Date: 15 September 2020
Moderator: Mr. Richard Baguma
Resource persons:
- Pr. Linda Bauld, Director - Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh
- Pr. Wakgari Deressa, School of Public Health - Addis Ababa University
- Pr. Ellis Owusu-Dabo, School of Public Health Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
- Ms. Kellen Nyamurungi, School of Public Health - Makerere University
This webinar presented findings from a multi-country study that aimed at generating evidence to support policy and practice to address tobacco use during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. It described what is now known about COVID-19 and tobacco use from international literature and outlined how the pandemic has affected tobacco control in three African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda). The webinar also discussed steps to better integrate responses to infectious disease epidemics and tobacco control interventions across the continent.
Africa Tobacco Control Talks: Overcoming challenges of tobacco control implementation in Africa
Date: 07 October 2020
Moderator: Susie MBOUANGOUORE LIMBEPE, Tobacco Control Expert - The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Resource persons:
- Peter Unekwo: Executive Director - CEDARS Refuge Foundation, Nigeria
- Mr. Wondu Bekele, Executive Director - Mathiwos Wondu Cancer Society, Ethiopia
This webinar discussed practical tips to deal with challenges facing tobacco control implementation in Africa. It touched specifically on: coordination/collaboration amongst tobacco partners, domestic resource mobilisation for tobacco control, and tobacco industry interference.
Tobacco Industry Interference in Africa Through New Technology Products
Date: 24 November 2020
Moderator: Leonce SESSOU, Executive Secretary - African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA)
Resource persons:
Pr. Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Postgraduate studies & Innovation – Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU)
Dr. Francis BOLI, Executive Secretary - Réseau des ONG Actives pour le Contrôle du Tabac in Côte d’ivoire (ROCTA-CI)
Celine Awuor, Chief Executive Officer - International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA)
This webinar was organized exclusively for members of tobacco industry monitoring (TIM) teams established in 10 countries by ATCA. It built the capacity of these team members in new tobacco products and how they are being used by the tobacco industry to boost their sales under the guise of products with reduced harm compared to traditional cigarettes.