Ghana expands tobacco control efforts by involving civil society

An official from Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued a warning about the risks of hookah and called on various sectors of civil society to join the fight against smoking.

With the northern regions of Ghana experiencing the highest prevalence of smoking, it was from the town of Bolgatanga that Dr. Olivia Agyekumwaa Boateng, head of the Tobacco and Substance Abuse Department at the Food and Drugs Authority (Ghana's FDA), chose to speak to present the new anti-smoking measures.[1].

A warning about the use of shisha

Developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) focal point, the action plan includes finalizing the implementation of health warnings on tobacco products, public tobacco prevention programs and Ghana's upcoming ratification of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Dr. Boateng particularly urged people to abandon the use of shisha, in a region where this smoking practice is very popular among young people. "We have taken vigorous preventive action so that people know that there are no less dangerous forms [of smoking].", she said, disproving the popular belief that shisha smoke is less harmful than cigarette smoke.

Dr. Boateng pointed out that snuff (snuff powder) and oral forms of nicotine products (nicotine pouches and lozenges), which are popular on the African continent, also contain addictive and toxic substances and cannot be considered "risk-free" products. She also pointed out that of the 1.3 billion smokers on earth, 80% live in low- and middle-income countries, where the costs of tobacco-related illnesses are even higher.

Integration of civil society components

In order to combat passive smoking and establish a tobacco-free public space, Dr. Boateng also called for “strengthen the legal framework for tobacco control through a multi-sectoral approach operating at all regional levels”[2]"We believe the approach should be one of locally tailored solutions. Each region has its own unique challenges when it comes to tobacco control, and we believe other stakeholders can do just as well as we do.", she added.

Various civil society actors, such as the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Journalists Association, and the Ghana Tourism Authority, as well as religious authorities and traditional local chieftaincies, were met and invited to join the fight against tobacco. Their role would be to encourage Ghanaians to turn away from smoking and avoid any initiation into tobacco, while helping to enforce smoking bans in public places.

An African country involved in the fight against tobacco

An English-speaking country in West Africa, Ghana was one of the first five African countries to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004.[3]He is also a member of the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), which is pushing to strengthen his legislation to avoid interference from the tobacco industry, especially as Ghana approaches ratification of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. [4].

Tobacco production represents only 0.04% of the agricultural area and remains very low since British American Tobacco (BAT) relocated its production to Nigeria in December 2006. BAT nevertheless remains by far the largest importer of tobacco in the country, at 87%. Although smoking prevalence remains relatively low (around 5% in total, mainly among men for whom it reaches 10% on average, and up to 31% in the northern regions), Ghana pays a heavy price for tobacco in terms of mortality and morbidity, the peak of which is expected around 2030[5].

Keywords: Ghana, hookah, civil society, WHO, low- and middle-income countries

©Generation Without Tobacco

MF

---

[1] Shisha isn't alternative for cigarette, stop using it — FDA, Modern Ghana, published November 10, 2021, accessed November 16, 2021. [2] 75 men die weekly through smoking, News Ghana, published November 11, 2021, accessed November 16, 2021. [3] Ghana Country Profile, Tobacco Tactics, published June 8, 2020, accessed November 16, 2021. [4] Ghana must not falter in fight against illegal tobacco trade, ATCA, published September 24, 2021, accessed November 16, 2021. [5] Yire I, One in five cigarettes in Ghana is illicit - KNUST researcher, Ghana News Agency, published September 2, 2021, accessed November 16, 2021. National Committee Against Smoking |