AFRICA BUILDS NEXT GENERATION OF TOBACCO CONTROL ADVOCATES IN LAGOS

AFRICA BUILDS NEXT GENERATION OF TOBACCO CONTROL ADVOCATES IN LAGOS
By prince Benson Davies

Public health professionals from 12 African countries gathered in Lagos this week for an intensive five-day course designed to strengthen the continent’s defense against tobacco industry interference in health policy.

The training, organized by the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research, ATIM, marks the first time Nigeria is hosting the program. Now in its third edition, the Tobacco Industry Monitoring, TIM, course brought together participants from Kenya, Nigeria, Benin, Botswana, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

The objective is clear: shift Africa’s tobacco control work from reaction to prevention. Instead of responding after industry interference occurs, advocates are being trained to anticipate tactics, document them, and use evidence to block them before they influence policy.

Leading the faculty is Prof. Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, Head of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria and Director of ATIM. He was joined by lecturers from the University of Bath, England, and experts from the United States, Nigeria, Brazil and Togo.

Speaking at the opening, Prof. Ayo-Yusuf noted that tobacco industry interference remains one of the biggest obstacles to public health progress in Africa. He cited research showing how industry lobbying, front groups and misleading campaigns contribute to preventable deaths and weaken the implementation of tobacco control laws.

According to him, the course was structured to give advocates practical tools. By the end of the training, participants are expected to be able to identify and document interference, analyze new industry strategies, search and interpret internal industry documents, recognize front groups and third-party allies, and produce evidence that supports stronger policy advocacy.

He added that participants will also learn how to draft effective tobacco control policies and design advocacy strategies that fit the context of their countries and organizations.

One of the facilitators, Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the training comes at a critical time. He noted that the tobacco industry continues to reinvent itself and is now pushing what he described as a false narrative of harm reduction to attract new users.

Oluwafemi, who has worked in tobacco control for nearly three decades, said the sector must deliberately build a new generation of advocates. The current cohort includes government officials, civil society leaders, economists, journalists and public health experts.

“The industry is targeting our youths and children with misleading messages,” he said. “It is necessary that advocates are updated on these tactics and that governments are supported to enforce the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and national laws.”

Participants described the course as timely and practical. Jackline Mbone Juma, a youth tobacco control advocate with the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance, said the sessions provided hands-on skills in monitoring industry activities and accessing tobacco industry documents. She added that the training also deepened her understanding of the WHO FCTC.

Emmanuel Onwuka, a journalist and Communications Officer with the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance, said the program was coming at a crucial moment as the industry rolls out new products and digital marketing aimed at young people. He expressed confidence that the skills gained would help him better monitor, document and report on industry interference in Nigeria and across the region.

ATIM is based at the University of Pretoria and serves as Africa’s specialized centre for tobacco industry monitoring, intelligence and policy research. It tracks industry activities across the continent and supports research, policy protection and capacity building in line with the WHO FCTC.

The TIM course is delivered in both English and French and is open to tobacco control advocates, researchers, academics, journalists and government policymakers across Africa. Organizers say the goal is to ensure every African country has people trained to hold the tobacco industry accountable.