Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index. Focus on Africa

A fact sheet[1] highlighting the performance of nine countries in Africa involved in the 2020 Tobacco Industry Interference Survey. It was conducted by African Alliance for Tobacco Control (ATCA) in collaboration with the African Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research Center (ATIM).

Nine African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) participated in the 2020 edition of Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index. The 2020 index revealed that the tobacco industry used similar tactics in various countries. The most frequently reported interference strategies include promoting so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, using the media to shape public opinion or promote tobacco products, and putting pressure on decision-makers. This modality is all the more deployed when it comes to influencing a legislative/regulatory process. The Covid 19 pandemic period has also been conducive to this type of interference. The tobacco industry has intensified its CSR activities during the pandemic and its lobbying in general on the African continent.[2]. Some examples:

• Tanzania and Zambia, the two countries that appear most susceptible to tobacco industry interference in Africa, have delayed tobacco control legislation because of tobacco industry interference;
• In Ethiopia, Japan Tobacco International has the right to intervene in the development of tobacco regulations by providing its "comments";
• In Ghana, the tobacco industry has been granted an 18-month deadline to implement health warnings on cigarette packets;
• In Mozambique, the tobacco industry enjoys special advantages including an exemption from export duties;
• In South Africa, the tobacco industry has attacked government provisions and is using CSR activities through NGOs involved in educational centre programmes to improve its image and establish itself as a prevention player;

This assessment highlights the importance of the strategies deployed by manufacturers in this continent to influence public policies in their favor. However, the study carried out underlines that countries are not condemned to this situation. Thus, Uganda has risen to the 3^th out of 57 countries studied internationally for its efforts to combat industry interference, and has managed to adopt one of the most protective anti-smoking laws in the region.

This study thus highlights the need within a single country for a multi-sectoral approach to protect public policies to combat tobacco use from interference by the tobacco industry. It also recommends adopting a whole-of-government approach in this area.

Finally, this study recalls the concrete methods to be implemented to achieve this protection of public policies. These are defined in article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the implementing guidelines that refer to them. Examples of countries to be followed are also mentioned in support.