http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/africa.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/science/article08//indexn3_html?pdate=030708&ptitle=Stakeholders%20to%20conduct%20tobacco%20situational%20analysis%20in%20Nigeria&cpdate=040708 http://tobacco.org/news/268221.html The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) and the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) are to conduct a Nigerian Tobacco Situational Analysis. This was disclosed at a National Stakeholders Meeting on the Nigerian Tobacco Situational Analysis (NTSA) organised recently in Lagos. The meeting was sequel to the approval by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The stakeholders recommended: Commissioning of a community based National Study using the household as the study unit; and International agencies should be involved in funding the countrywide studies that would generate adequate baseline data. Executive Director of NHF, Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, said the meeting was a landmark event and a very important step in the move to make Nigeria a tobacco free Nation. . . . An African Tobacco Situational Analysis (ATSA) consultant, Anne-Maria Schryer-Roy, said that her role at the meeting was to observe and participate as well as identify areas where the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) can be of assistance in the near future; and provide guidance where required. She said the ATSA initiative; a partnership between IDRC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has a central aim of trying to understand the critical determinants of success for tobacco control in Sub-Saharan Africa, which will be used to inform the development and implementation of tobacco control strategies in the region. The Guardian Nigeria Africa Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.dailystar.co.uk/tvguide/view/42597/Duncan-Bannatyne-Takes-On-Tobacco/ http://tobacco.org/news/268059.html 1st July 2008 By BBC2, 9pm Duncan Bannatyne is on the warpath tonight in a special BBC2 documentary. In DUNCAN BANNATYNE TAKES ON TOBACCO, the Scottish entrepreneur reveals the alarming rise in under-age smoking amongst kids in Africa - and points the finger of blame directly at British American Tobacco and their marketing tactics. In one primary school class that Duncan visits in Mauritius, non-smokers are actually in the minority. Daily Star Nigeria Malawi Africa Mauritius Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/07/02/nosplit/bvtv02critic.xml http://tobacco.org/news/267946.html Entrepreneur and Dragons' Den hardman Duncan Bannatyne explores the lamentable world of tobacco advertising in the developing world. He visits Mauritius, Nigeria and Malawi, investigating the sales strategy of British American Tobacco - a company which made a £2.1billion profit last year. Bannatyne believes he's found evidence that suggests BAT is breaking its own code of conduct about the accessibility of cigarettes to children, and after researching the situation in each of the three African countries, he returns to London to confront BAT with his findings. However, Bannatyne fails to create a sense of urgency, even though he talks to people who started smoking at the age of nine. The programme looks at length at what young Africans know about the dangers of smoking, and finds that some schoolchildren smoke because they believe it "makes them wise". Electronic Telegraph newsfeedback@telegraph.co.uk (Matt Warman) Nigeria Malawi Africa Mauritius Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=125&art_id=vn20080630060630827C126247 http://tobacco.org/news/267883.html Patricia Lambert is not one to mince her words. One of the star attractions at a media summit hosted last week in Joburg by the American Cancer Society, and the Cancer Association of SA, among others, South African-born Lambert is director of the new International Legal Consortium at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an NGO based in Washington. She began her presentation by describing the tobacco industry as "evil". "Their PR and marketing firms are spreading disease and death in the way that no virus has been able to do yet," she said. "Yet in Africa, donor money goes to dealing with infectious diseases - HIV, tuberculosis and malaria instead." The Independent Online South Africa Africa Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.businessghana.com/portal/news/index.php?op=getNews&news_cat_id=&id=86603 http://tobacco.org/news/267840.html African Regional Meeting on Tobacco Control Building for Africa, is underway in Accra to brainstorm on strategies to curb the about 5.4 million global annual deaths related to tobacco. The participants, which comprise 17 African countries and representatives from the US and Switzerland would be spending the next two days to discuss the tactics to reverse the findings of a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the death toll per year would rise to eight million by 2030 with 80 per cent of the victims from Third World countries. The consultation, which is a follow-up of a similar meeting in Geneva in February this year, would use the 2008 WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, as a reference point to identify the strengths and weaknesses of tobacco control in the Region. Business Ghana Africa Ghana Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/06/30/afx5166055.html http://tobacco.org/news/267837.html Tobacco giant British American Tobacco PLC has denied claims made by a BBC investigation that it is breaking its code regarding the sale of single cigarettes, seen as more attractive to child smokers. AFX News ben.deighton@thomsonreuters.com Nigeria Malawi Africa Mauritius Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7475259.stm http://tobacco.org/news/267787.html covering the sale of cigarettes to young people in Africa. An investigation for the BBC has found evidence in Nigeria, Malawi and Mauritius of rules being broken. In particular, BBC Two's This World found single cigarettes - which campaigners say are attractive to young people - were being promoted and sold. The company involved, British American Tobacco (BAT), says it does not encourage the sale of single "sticks". During the investigation carried out for BBC Two's This World programme, British businessman Duncan Bannatyne also discovers tactics used by BAT which circumvent bans on advertising and raise the profile of cigarettes in countries where doctors are warning of a potential epidemic of smoking-related diseases. BBC Online Nigeria Malawi Africa Mauritius Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.news-medical.net/?id=39495 http://tobacco.org/news/267632.html In an unprecedented meeting between the media, cancer and tobacco control nongovernmental organizations, and the health care sector, African journalists gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday to discuss Africa's growing cancer and tobacco crisis. This first ever summit was convened in order to address ways in which journalists can communicate lifesaving messaging about cancer, and tobacco-related deaths. Speakers at the event were from the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), the World Health Organization, the National Council Against Smoking, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and the American Cancer Society. News-Medical.net /images/@ADVgrffix.gif South Africa Africa Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20080604041418/secIndustries/pagHealthcare http://tobacco.org/news/266493.html Ban on smoking in public places and selling tobacco to people under 20 have cut sales of cigarettes in the GCC by 12 per cent, according to industry experts. Total sales across the region are about 60 billion cigarettes a year and Saudi Arabia is the largest market with an annual total of 12 billion. Small- and medium-sized tobacco manufacturers expect their business volume to decline further due to increased taxes and restrictions in regional markets. But global giants such as British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International (PMI), which dominate the market, recorded an increased sales in the first quarter of 2008 mainly due to higher turnover in East Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Eema). Zawya.com support@zawya.com (VM Satish) Uae Saudi Arabia Africa Iran Iraq Mid-east Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.ash.org.uk/ash_2oj2q0u9.htm http://tobacco.org/news/264471.html Television entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne joined campaigners outside the London headquarters of British American Tobacco today as shareholders arrived for the company's annual general meeting. [1] The Day of Protest was organised by the campaigning charity ASH, which has been researching BAT's activities in Africa. Its report, BAT's African Footprint, says that while smoking is declining in the West, BAT's profits in Asia and Africa grew by £2 million to £470 million last year. Mr Bannatyne, the business philanthropist on TV's Dragon's Den, is a fierce anti-smoker. He had arrived back in the UK after a two-week trip to Africa to investigate BAT's involvement in the tobacco trade there for himself. "I was making a documentary for BBC2 ," he said. "I have been looking at their marketing tactics all over Africa and I don't like what I have seen." He said he would be posting his views on YouTube, and asking members of the public to join him at the tobacco corporation's next year's annual meeting - by buying a single BAT share, giving them the right to attend the meeting and ask questions. ASH London UK Africa Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-30-voa44.cfm http://tobacco.org/news/264437.html British American Tobacco (BAT) has been in Africa since 1902. The shareholders at the London meeting had reason to celebrate; the company made a pretax profit of more than $4.5 billion last year. But Action on Smoking and Health, a non-profit group that works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco, used the opportunity to protest the company's growing presence in Africa. Group spokesman Martin Dockrell says African countries are experiencing the highest increase in tobacco use among developing countries. "The shareholders are meeting in London today to count their profits," he said. "They sold 1.1 billion cigarettes in Africa and the Middle East region last year, and we are not so happy because by our calculation that is equivalent to about 100,000 deaths." Dockrell says since smoking is on the decline in the West due to pressure by organizations like his and the general public's awareness of the health implications of smoking, companies such as BAT have shifted their focus to Africa and Asia with aggressive advertising. . . . BAT responded with a written statement saying Action on Smoking and Health's facts just do not stand up. It also dismissed the charge it is breaking into emerging markets to dodge regulation, since it has been in those markets for more than 100 years and abides by the laws and regulations of all the countries it operates in. The company says the health risks associated with smoking are well-known and warnings about the hazard are printed on every single pack of cigarettes it makes whether the law requires it or not. VOANews.com UK Africa Asia Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.modernghana.com/news/163337/1/BAT-CEPS-Fight-Counterfeiting http://tobacco.org/news/264325.html The British American Tobacco (BAT) company and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) are engaged in a two-day anti-counterfeiting workshop at the La Palm Royal Hotel. The two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in the area of fighting counterfeiting and trading in such products with particular reference to cigarettes. In his overview of the workshop, Don Ayao Dussey, BAT's Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Manager, West and Central Africa, described the event as another milestone in the fight against illicit trade in Ghana. . . . "It is in recognition of the tremendous contribution of CEPS and other security agencies to reducing the illicit trade that we donated 12 jungle motorbikes to help CEPS in their efforts to have better control of our borders and the product flow," he said. BAT, he said, was committed to setting high standards of good corporate citizenship by helping to improve the capacity of their partners in the process of eliminating illicit trading activities. . . . Some 12 countries mostly in Africa and the Middle East accounted for most of the financial losses of BAT in terms of illegal trade in tobacco products. Nigeria with a very big market, he pointed out, accounted for $48 million, followed by South Africa with $44 million. Modern Ghana Africa Ghana Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105674.php http://tobacco.org/news/264319.html As British American Tobacco celebrates 100 years of trade in Africa at its AGM in London (on Wednesday, 30th April), campaigners will be outside, protesting about the heavy footprint it leaves on the continent - death, hunger, poverty, and environmental destruction. A new report by ASH, BAT's African Footprint [1], says that while smoking is declining in the West, BAT's profits in Asia and Africa grew by £2 million to £470 million last year. The growth in sales means more ill-health and ultimately rising tobacco-related deaths. According to an analysis carried out for the campaigning charity ASH, one person dies for every million cigarettes sold. BAT sold 101 billion cigarettes in the Africa and Middle east region last year. Sir Richard Peto, Professor of Medical Statistics at Oxford University said: "If BAT continues selling 100 billion cigarettes a year in Africa and the Middle East, this will, in the long run, cause 100,000 deaths per year." Medical News TODAY UK Africa Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-02-13-voa34.cfm http://tobacco.org/news/259731.html Anti-tobacco campaigners negotiating a treaty to combat the illicit tobacco trade say cigarette smuggling is big business throughout the African continent and is resulting in serious health problems. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva. Studies by a consortium of anti-tobacco groups find the illicit trade in tobacco products represents about 10 percent of global sales, and cost governments between $40-$50 billion every year in lost revenue. "It puts lower cost tobacco products on to the market and that...correlates with higher consumption," said Kathryn Mulvey, Director of International Policy for Corporate Accountability International. "It correlates with more young people getting addicted to tobacco. So, that is helping to grow their markets for their deadly products. And, they also benefit because often it is a way of getting their brands into markets that they might not yet be established in." This is borne out by the situation in Nigeria. Akinbode Oluwafemi is a member of the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals. He says smuggled cigarettes carrying the Japan Tobacco brand name became so popular throughout Nigeria that the company last year set up a factory there. VOANews.com Nigeria Africa Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/2/08-030208/en/index.html http://tobacco.org/news/259281.html Under WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI), the 21 Member States of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, are stepping up tobacco-control efforts. The Initiative was launched in 1998 and WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which is now one of the most widely supported treaties in the history of the United Nations, entered into force in 2005. The moves can’t come soon enough, according to Dr Fatimah El-Awa, the regional adviser for the Tobacco Free Initiative at WHO’s Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, which is based in Cairo. “When we talk about tobacco, some people still look at us and laugh, saying, ‘Well, people are starving and dying from poverty and you’re talking about tobacco.’ But they don’t understand that tobacco contributes to poverty.” With stronger tobacco control policies, including smoking bans expanding in public areas like restaurants in more parts of the United States of America (USA) and Europe, cigarette manufacturers are dumping their toxic merchandise in other parts of the world such as the Eastern Mediterranean Region, making tobacco control measures even more imperative, says El-Awa. The region comprises 21 Member States, from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia in north Africa, through the Gulf countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the rest of the Middle East to Afghanistan and Pakistan in south Asia. It also includes Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan in sub-Saharan Africa. World Health Organization Africa Mid-east Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT