Read articles from Africa

The Ministry of Health and Social Services with support from WHO  conducted a five-day tobacco training workshop to strengthen tobacco control measures in the country. Namibia ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in November 2005. [...] the Namibian government banned all tobacco product advertisements in the electronic and print media, billboards and promotion well before the Tobacco Products Control Act of 2010 was signed into law.

The Portfolio Committee on Health has conducted more public hearings on the new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, with participants expressing mixed views. The new Bill has been met with both support and vehement opposition, depending on the clauses being focused on. Broadly, the bill aims to introduce the following:

• Indoor public places and certain outdoor areas will be determined to be 100% smoke-free.
• Ban the sale of cigarettes through vending machines.
• Plain packaging with graphic health warnings and pictorials.
• Ban on display at point-of-sale; and
• The regulation and control of electronic nicotine delivery systems and non-nicotine delivery systems.

South Africa’s parliament is scrutinising new tobacco and nicotine legislation that would throttle harm reduction approaches for its citizens. South Africa has a high prevalence of smoking (25.8% – see chart), especially among men, and low rates of vape use (2.2%). Yet the legislation is designed to obstruct South African citizens from switching from high-risk cigarettes to low-risk vape products. Why is there such hostility to a strategy that could work especially well in South Africa? Harm reduction relies on consumers and producers acting in their own interests and at their own expense to radically reduce disease risks and improve their welfare and wellbeing. [...]

Electronic cigarette use has surged internationally in recent years, with numerous countries noting an uptick in users. Despite this, the portrayal of e-cigarette usage in African news remains unclear. This research investigates the subject, employing a mixed-methodology approach. The study units were news articles on electronic cigarette use retrieved from AllAfrica, an online African news archive. [...]

While all parties agree smoking and vaping should be regulated in South Africa, a significant industry player is contesting the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill in its current form. Multinational tobacco company Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA) is pushing back strongly against the bill, saying that’s proposed laws lack nuance and scientific justification – to the extent that they are irrational.

World Lung Cancer Day on August 1 served as a stark reminder of the devastating impact that lung cancer has on millions of lives worldwide. It was a day to reinforce the global resolve to combat this formidable disease, but it also exposed a troubling paradox. Just as efforts were being made to raise awareness and find solutions to combat lung cancer, some misguided activists in Kenya were using the moment to advocate for tighter restrictions on nicotine products that offer smokers their best chance of avoiding the disease.

The Portfolio Committee on Health has hosted the first in-person public hearings on the new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, with the public expressing mixed sentiments over the proposed changes. The proposed laws have received widespread condemnation from industry experts, with many warning that (...)

The latest tobacco control bill offers no mention of — let alone a solution to — the rampant illicit trade that accounts for almost three-quarters of all cigarette sales in SA today.

Therefore, if enacted, the bill will have no effect on tobacco "control" other than to push the market further under the control of the kingpins in organised crime.

The new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill could lead to a decline in tax revenues, hurting the already embattled South African fiscus. The Bill aims to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use and nicotine dependence in South Africa.

The 10th Conference of the Parties (COP) convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be taking place in November 2023 to discuss the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The COP will discuss updates to the approach taken by member states in implementing the FCTC. “It is an appropriate time for leaders in South Africa and elsewhere to indicate the inappropriate stance of WHO and regulators in not supporting the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDs),” says award-winning pharmacological healthcare consultant, Professor Praneet Valodia. “The WHO has an obligation to support smokers and save lives.”