Africa countries has been urged to introduce increased excise taxes as part of efforts to reduce smoking among young people as this would go a long way to preventing the onset of the epidemic.
This is as, the Tobacco Atlas highlights reveals that African countries have the weakest tobacco excise tax policies in the world.
According to an analysis by Sam Filby, in The Conversation Africa, tobacco use however still poses a significant health, economic and social burden worldwide.
Average global smoking rates have fallen over the past 12 years with the proportion of people aged 15 or older who smoke declining from 22.6% in 2007 to 19.6% in 2019.
In fact, some countries mostly in Africa are experiencing increases in smoking prevalence. The latest Tobacco Atlas shows that, globally, 1.13 billion people were current smokers in 2019. And 8.67 million deaths were attributable to tobacco smoking.
The Tobacco Atlas a partnership between Vital Strategies and Tobacconomics at the University of Illinois Chicago is a free online resource that examines the nature and magnitude of the tobacco epidemic.
Tobacco use also presents a sizeable economic burden. This includes the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ischaemic heart disease, as well as the productivity losses from premature illness and death.
Globally, the total economic cost of smoking amounts to more than US$ 1.4 trillion a year –equal to about 1.8% of the world’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).
Africa currently has the lowest smoking prevalence rates in the world. But number of smokers in Africa is projected to increase the region has been flagged as the future epicentre of the tobacco epidemic because of rapid population growth, and intensive marketing efforts by the tobacco industry.
Because of the delay between smoking and the onset of illness and death, this means that the number of African people who will die each year from tobacco-related diseases is likely to increase. The costs of treating smoking-related diseases will correspondingly become an increasingly significant economic burden in these countries.
It is, however, possible to avert this. Key steps include introducing strong prevention policies.
Tobacco kills half of its long-term users. Hence, the tobacco industry’s survival depends on getting young people addicted to tobacco products. Traditional advertising and promotion of tobacco products has been banned in most African countries. But the tobacco industry has developed novel ways of keeping its products in the public eye.
In Zimbabwe, China Tobacco set up the China Tobacco Ma Bo Hope Primary School in 2019. In this way, the industry is using corporate social responsibility to gain legitimacy, build public trust, and further its business interests. From building schools to funding scholarships, tobacco companies use these publicised acts of goodwill to gain influence with governments and try to mute life-saving tobacco control policies.
