Africa is producing increasing quantities of tobacco while also spending more on imported cigarettes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighting a growing contradiction in the continent’s tobacco economy.
The WHO said the trend reflects the continued expansion of tobacco production and consumption across parts of Africa, even as countries face significant health and economic consequences associated with tobacco use.
According to the global health body, tobacco remains a major preventable cause of disease and death, with smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption linked to serious conditions including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses and several forms of cancer.
The growing tobacco trade also has implications beyond public health. Tobacco cultivation can take up agricultural land and resources, while cigarette imports represent money leaving African economies to meet demand for tobacco products.
The WHO has repeatedly urged African countries to strengthen tobacco-control measures, including effective taxation, restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion, smoke-free policies, health warnings and measures to prevent the tobacco industry from influencing public health policies.
The organisation has also warned that the tobacco industry’s economic arguments can obscure the broader costs of tobacco use, including healthcare expenses, loss of productivity and premature deaths.
The latest observation reinforces calls for African governments to pursue stronger policies aimed at reducing tobacco consumption while supporting farmers and communities that depend on tobacco cultivation to transition towards alternative livelihoods and crops.
Public health experts have continued to stress that reducing tobacco demand remains critical to preventing avoidable illnesses and deaths, particularly as populations and markets across the continent grow.
The WHO’s position therefore places renewed attention on the need for African countries to address both sides of the tobacco problem: the production of tobacco and the continued demand for imported tobacco products.
For governments, the challenge is not only to regulate tobacco consumption but also to create sustainable economic alternatives that can reduce dependence on tobacco cultivation while protecting livelihoods.
The WHO maintains that stronger tobacco-control policies, combined with public awareness and support for healthier alternatives, are essential to reducing the long-term health and economic burden of tobacco across Africa.
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