Somalia initiates the ratification process for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

The People's Assembly of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, the lower house, has ratified the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty aimed at reducing the sale, consumption, and harmful effects of tobacco[1]. The ratification was approved by 139 deputies, with three abstentions.

Somalia is not yet formally a party to the Convention: the text must still be submitted to the upper house of the federal parliament for review, reading, discussion, and a vote, and then signed by the president before the instrument is deposited with the United Nations to enter into force. Ratification of the treaty should lead the country to incorporate international best practices into domestic law, given that current tobacco control legislation is very weak or nonexistent.

Ratification of the CFTRA, a necessary step

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the only international treaty in the field of health specifically dedicated to tobacco control. Adopted at the 56th World Health Assembly in Geneva in 2003 and entering into force in 2005, it aims to reduce the health, economic, and social consequences of tobacco use for present and future generations.

The UNFCCC is the treaty that has rapidly gained the most parties worldwide. The majority of African countries have ratified it. According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Ali Haji Aden, Somalia is expected to become the 45th country on the continent to ratify this treaty. He noted that globally, 183 countries or groups of countries, such as the EU, have ratified this international treaty, representing approximately 90% of the world's population potentially protected by its provisions.

This treaty is based on provisions that have proven effective in reducing tobacco consumption and all the harmful consequences associated with it. From a health perspective, smoking is the most significant risk factor among all non-communicable diseases. However, Somali officials have emphasized that tobacco-related non-communicable diseases continue to rise in Somalia and throughout the region.

The FCTC represents a set of measures including increased taxes on tobacco products, a ban on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products, the establishment of smoke-free public spaces, the placement of visible health warnings on packaging, the implementation of awareness campaigns, and smoking cessation services. It also includes provisions aimed at combating the illicit trade in tobacco products, which remains a challenge in the region.

According to the Minister of Health, the FCTC does not prohibit the use of tobacco in general, although the provisions of Article 2.1 of the FCTC could provide for a generational ban on the marketing of these products, but encourages governments to reduce their impact on public health.

A country that has lagged far behind in anti-tobacco legislation and product regulation until now

In Somalia, tobacco use affected approximately 20.5 per 100,000 adult men aged 15 and over and 2.8 per 100,000 adult women in 2019, representing approximately 11 per 100,000 adult smokers in the country, and therefore 1.1 million adult smokers in the country.[2]. A 2021 estimate indicated that 2.1 million deaths were linked to smoking, and another estimate for 2024 reports 519,000 current smokers in the country.[3].

The majority of tobacco products consumed in Somalia are imported. According to information reported by the BBC, these imports now come mainly from India and transit through the country's main ports, particularly Mogadishu, which is also the main center of consumption. Consumption has increased in Somalia in recent years, especially among young people in urban areas, and shisha bars and smokeless products have become widespread, without any accompanying regulatory framework.

Tobacco is consumed in various forms, including cigarettes, shisha tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco. To date, these products are largely unregulated: the country has not banned smoking in public places., does not impose any health warnings on cigarette packaging, unlike several other African countries (South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Liberia, Lesotho…), No national anti-smoking campaign has been carried out and regulations governing or even prohibiting marketing practices in favor of tobacco are non-existent.

Furthermore, new products such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches are not regulated by any specific law.

In contrast, nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) are unavailable in Somalia because they are illegal and not considered medicines, despite their recognized role in smoking cessation, and according to the latest data from Tobacco Atlas, there is also no national smoking cessation helpline.

The country will be able to transpose the strong measures of the FCTC into its national law.

The lower house of the Somali Parliament has already voted to transpose certain provisions into a national anti-tobacco law.[4]. If the treaty is definitively adopted by the upper house and signed by the president, along with the new law, the production, sale, advertising, and consumption of tobacco products, including shisha, which is increasingly popular among young people, will be regulated. Furthermore, points of sale and tobacco consumption will be restricted.

Health authorities have indicated that this framework will serve as a basis for future initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent disease within the population, and legislators have indicated that its implementation will require close collaboration between government authorities and civil society organizations, including local ones, to ensure compliance.

The approval of this new national tobacco control framework follows recent parliamentary action on other health-related legislation, demonstrating a growing focus on public health as Somalia strives to rebuild its institutions after decades of conflict. The agreement will officially enter into force in Somalia once these institutional steps are completed.[5].

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[1]Muxuu yahay heshiiska xakameynta tubaakada ee ay meel mariyeen xildhibaanada golaha shacabka BFS, BBC News Somali, published on January 12, 2026, accessed on January 13, 2026

[2]Drope J, Hamill S, Country profile: Somalia, The Tobacco Atlas, New York: Vital Strategies and Economics for Health, updated in 2025, accessed January 13, 2026

[3]Tobacco Smoking in Somalia, Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction, updated December 11, 2025, accessed January 13, 2026

[4]Abdirahman Khalif, Somali parliament approves strict tobacco regulations amid rising health concerns, The Eastleigh Voice, published January 12, 2026, accessed January 13, 2026

[5]Somali parliament approves tobacco control framework in landmark public health vote, Hiiraan Online, published January 12, 2026, accessed January 13, 2026

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