Philip Morris targets Africa for new tobacco products

The tobacco industry is increasingly looking to Africa, a continent with a burgeoning youth population and significant economic potential. Recent developments underscore this trend, with Philip Morris International (PMI) unveiling plans to introduce more affordable smoke-free products to the region.

Frederic de Wilde, CEO of PMI South Asia, South East Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East and Africa, said last December at a technology innovation event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, that the market for new tobacco products in Africa was still in its infancy, with consumers very sensitive to price. However, the market represents a business opportunity for the company.[1].

Africa, a key market for the tobacco industry

While smoking rates have gradually declined in many Western countries since comprehensive tobacco control measures were put in place, the tobacco industry has shifted its marketing practices to emerging and more lucrative markets, particularly in Africa, by directly targeting younger people and women. According to the Union for International Cancer Control, in Africa, 65,% people are under the age of 30[2].

Currently, the African continent has the lowest smoking rates in the world: in 2020, approximately 10.3% of the population in the Afro region smoked according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while globally, the prevalence of smoking stood at 22.3%. However, the improvement of the African economy and the rapid growth of the young population are leading to an increase in smoking.

Nowhere has the number of smokers increased as much since 1990 as in Africa – +104 % in North Africa and the Middle East and almost 75 % in sub-Saharan Africa. The continent had an estimated 66 million smokers in 2015, and by 2025, it is estimated that this number could reach 84 million.[3].

Low-cost heated tobacco devices for the African continent

De Wilde pointed out that new tobacco products (heated tobacco) are premium products that were initially launched at high prices. For example, the IQOS heated tobacco device is sold for €69 in France, between CHF50 and CHF100 depending on the model in Switzerland, or between £40 and £80 in the UK. While they have achieved some market penetration in some economies with more permissive smoke-free laws, only 5 to 10 percent of consumers in Africa could afford them. To make this product more affordable, PMI has already launched a cheaper version of the main IQOS heated tobacco product in the Philippines in November 2022. The company plans to roll out this device to new emerging markets including Africa very soon.

De Wilde said the company is developing a heated tobacco device targeting low- and middle-income markets. In the e-cigarette sector, the company is also developing new product lines specifically for emerging economies.

Philip Morris plans additional pressure on African governments

De Wilde said while PMI’s tobacco products offer promising opportunities in Africa, the continent’s policy and regulatory landscape poses significant challenges, he said. Regulations vary widely across countries, with each country adopting its own approach to tobacco control. In addition, some policymakers remain hesitant about “alternatives,” often lumping them in with traditional cigarettes. As such, De Wilde said it will be important to “gain the trust of policymakers” to promote these tobacco products in African countries. He also said countries should “ease current restrictions on these products,” which he said “should not be lumped in with traditional cigarettes.”

It advocates leaving the market free so that companies can interact with consumers and help them try new products to facilitate the transition to "smoke-free solutions." In other words, the manufacturer is seeking permission to advertise its heated tobacco device.

Regulatory challenges and the need for effective implementation of the WHO Framework Convention

Many African countries struggle to implement effective tobacco control policies. Health warnings on cigarette packages, smoking bans in public places, and bans on tobacco advertising in points of sale have been adopted by only about a third of sub-Saharan African countries. This situation is further aggravated by poor enforcement of the texts linked to the lack of controls and by the heavy interference of the tobacco industry which weakens regulations. Indeed, although 43 of the 46 countries in the sub-Saharan African region have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), none has, to date, fully implemented all of the provisions of the treaty. This situation is in particular the result of lobbying by the tobacco industry. Tobacco multinationals have been expanding in Africa in recent decades and exploiting the socio-political climate of the continent.

Tobacco use also represents a growing economic burden for African countries. Without taking into account all the negative externalities of tobacco, this burden includes the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases as well as productivity losses due to illness and premature death. A recent WHO report showed that the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases linked to the consumption of tobacco, alcohol or processed foods threatens the health gains made in Africa in recent years.

Some countries that have made progress in the fight against smoking, such as Kenya, are seeing these advances threatened by the arrival of new products, particularly nicotine pouches, which are heavily marketed to young people.[4].

©Tobacco Free Generation

AE

[1] Tobacco giant PMI aims for cheaper smoke-free products in Africa, African Business, published on December 28, 2024, accessed on January 2, 2025

[2] Elwina Majiwa, The tobacco industry's ruthless tactics to hook Africa's , UICC, published May 16, 2024, accessed January 2, 2025

[3] Generation without tobacco, Africa: Tobacco industry interference makes it difficult to implement anti-smoking measures, published on August 5, 2023, consulted on January 2, 2025

[4] Generation without tobacco, Kenya: Tobacco control threatened by new highly addictive nicotine products and flavoured tobacco, published on August 9, 2023, consulted on January 2, 2025