Journalists and policymakers in Africa have been charged with effective reporting and new policy formulation respectively if they are serious about seeing a reduction in young people’s exposure to tobacco products.
This charge was given at a web meeting to mark 2024 World No Tobacco Day.
The web discussion was organized by The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Vital Voices for Africa (VVA), and Being Africa, had 57 journalists from 20 African countries in attendance.
In his welcome remark, the Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor said that the World No Tobacco Day is commemorated May 31 annually and that the theme for 2024 x rays what governments can do to thwart industry antics of recruiting replacement smokers among children.
He noted that research shows that about one third of youth experimentation with tobacco occurs as a result of tobacco industry marketing and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship targeting them.
This year’s theme ‘Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference,’ underscores the critical need to prevent future generations from falling prey to the harmful impact of tobacco use.
He stressed that Worldwide, 78% of young people aged 13-15 years report regular exposure to some form of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, adding that recent research shows that children as young as 10 are also getting inducted into smoking due to their exposure to the internet and other factors.
A Tobacco Control Advocate Oluchi Joy Robert, in her presentation titled *The Tobacco Industry Addicts Children: Experiences from Nigeria, she explained that Nigeria, the world’s seventh most populous country, has been recognised by major transnational tobacco companies as a market with enormous income potential due to its large youth population and expanding GDP. She noted that in Nigeria the tobacco corporations are all out to recruit more young lungs to replace a dying generation of old patrons and maintain a strong hold in terms of market share for their tobacco products.
She revealed that children in Nigeria are exposed to flavoured products that are more attractive and easier to access. She however called for policy support and data to implement effective tobacco control policies so as to reduce tobacco use among youths.
The Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, Philip Jakpor reminds the media of its role on Tobacco control, “The MPOWER package of the WHO focuses on six effective measures to reduce demand for tobacco products. While the W denotes the “Warning about the dangers of tobacco“, which is a role that the media is tasked with carrying out, he said the media shapes tobacco-related knowledge, opinions and influences individuals and policy-makers. “For signatories to the WHO –Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) mass media anti-tobacco campaigns are key components of their TC programmes.”
While highlighting the dangers of tobacco products, Mohammed Maikuri of Development Gateway said, tobacco products are a major risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, and other severe health conditions.
He noted that exposure to second-hand smoke causes 1.2 million deaths annually, affecting nearly half of all children globally and resulting in 65,000 child deaths each year.
Similarly, Maikuri highlighted the economic burden of smoking, including health expenditures and productivity losses, estimated at US$ 1.4 trillion annually, with a significant portion of this cost borne by developing countries.
The World No Tobacco Day is a global commemoration that is marked every 31 of May. It is an opportunity for individuals, communities, and governments to unite in the fight against tobacco, encouraging healthier lifestyles and aiming for a future where tobacco-related illnesses and deaths are significantly reduced.