Read articles from Africa

September 15, 2026 by gfn.tv

Oral nicotine products should not be treated as a single risk category. Snus, nicotine pouches, chewing tobacco and traditional oral products can differ widely in ingredients, processing, contaminants and patterns of use. Those differences matter because public health guidance should help consumers and regulators understand where risk is actually concentrated. A clearer risk hierarchy can support better choices, stronger standards and more credible harm reduction policy.

August 12, 2026 by tobaccoharmreduction.net

Women’s smoking is often shaped by factors that generic tobacco policy fails to see: stress, stigma, caregiving, mental health, poverty and unequal access to support. Tobacco harm reduction can offer another route for women who have not been reached by conventional cessation alone. That means recognising different patterns of use, different barriers to quitting and the need for non-judgemental information about lower-risk alternatives. Public health becomes stronger when it stops treating smokers as one uniform group.

August 10, 2026 by punchng.com

A coalition of tobacco control organizations is pushing for the recall of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, stating it would weaken existing regulations and increase tobacco exposure, particularly for youths in Nigeria. They argue that the bill would relax rules on electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products, going against public health principles. Concerns also include provisions for advertising to young people and inadequate enforcement capabilities. The coalition demands transparency in the legislative process and urges alignment with public health obligations. Organizations and professionals are called upon to oppose the bill for the protection of public health.

August 10, 2026 by punchng.com

A coalition of tobacco control organizations is pushing for the recall of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, stating it would weaken existing regulations and increase tobacco exposure, particularly for youths in Nigeria. They argue that the bill would relax rules on electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products, going against public health principles. Concerns also include provisions for advertising to young people and inadequate enforcement capabilities. The coalition demands transparency in the legislative process and urges alignment with public health obligations. Organizations and professionals are called upon to oppose the bill for the protection of public health.

July 28, 2026 by dailyfriend.co.za

When parliament starts taking tobacco harm reduction seriously, the conversation changes. The focus can move beyond slogans about nicotine and towards the harder question of how to reduce smoking-related disease in practice. South Africa has an opportunity to build regulation that recognises the difference between combustible tobacco and lower-risk alternatives. Discovery is only the first step — the test is whether lawmakers turn evidence into proportionate policy.

July 27, 2026 by tobaccoharmreduction.net

A regulation that treats every nicotine product as equally dangerous starts from the wrong premise. South Africa’s tobacco policy should recognise that the greatest harm comes from combustion, not nicotine itself. Risk-proportionate regulation would still control access, protect young people and set product standards, but it would not make lower-risk alternatives harder to use than cigarettes. The aim should be to move smokers down the risk continuum, not trap them at the most harmful end.

July 27, 2026 by tobaccoharmreduction.net

A regulation that treats every nicotine product as equally dangerous starts from the wrong premise. South Africa’s tobacco policy should recognise that the greatest harm comes from combustion, not nicotine itself. Risk-proportionate regulation would still control access, protect young people and set product standards, but it would not make lower-risk alternatives harder to use than cigarettes. The aim should be to move smokers down the risk continuum, not trap them at the most harmful end.

July 03, 2026 by worldvapersalliance.com

Kenya’s tobacco control bill should be guided by science, not fear. Regulation must protect young people, but it should also recognise the difference between combustible cigarettes and lower-risk nicotine alternatives. If safer products are restricted too heavily, adult smokers may be left with fewer realistic options to quit. Evidence-based policy should reduce harm, preserve informed choice and keep alternatives within legal, regulated markets.

June 23, 2026 by the-star.co.ke

Smokers struggling to quit are too often left out of tobacco policy debates. Many have tried conventional methods without success, yet lower-risk alternatives are frequently restricted, stigmatised or treated like cigarettes. Harm reduction starts by recognising smokers as people who need practical options, not moral judgement. Public health should speak for those still facing the greatest risk — and help them move away from combustible tobacco.

June 18, 2026 by thrglobal.org

Before accepting dominant narratives on nicotine, the evidence deserves closer examination. Claims about vaping, youth uptake or harm reduction often become policy arguments before the data are properly tested. When evidence shows declining smoking, falling youth vaping or major differences in relative risk, public health should adjust its assumptions. Better nicotine policy starts with asking whether the narrative fits the facts.