By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Coalition of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) on Thursday raised an alarm on how tobacco industries are targeting children in Africa.
They also called for massive campaign against their activities to protect children.
The webinar titled: ‘Effective Reporting Children and Tobacco Addiction’, was organized by Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) in collaboration with Vital Voices for Africa (VVA) and Kenya-based Being Africa,
The event saw participants from various African countries, sharing various experiences on the activities of the tobacco industries.
They said Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 49 use tobacco and expended an estimated N526.4 billion in 2019 alone for treating diseases caused by tobacco.
Speakers at the event revealed statistics , saying tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, claiming the lives of 6 million people every year.
Speaking on the issues, Philip Jakpor, the Executive Director of RDI, said 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. “Worldwide, 78% of young people aged 13-15 years report regular exposure to some form of tobacco advertising, promotion and
sponsorship.
“More recent researches show that children as young as 10 are also getting inducted into
smoking due to their exposure to the internet and other factors that we will hear about today.
“In ensuring our governments take the WNTD message for this year seriously, the media must play a
strategic role in exposing what the industry does and most importantly, write or broadcast incisive reports
to elicit policy level interventions. It is the media that must put our governments on their toes to ensure
they do not shirk their primary responsibility of protecting our children. This understanding informed our
organizing this capacity building discussion to further on the reporting skills of participants.”
He urged the media to live up to their role in Tobacco control which he described as, ‘The MPOWER’ package of the World Health Organisation (WHO) focusing on six effective measures to reduce demand for tobacco products.
He listed where to get tobacco stories that concern children to include: Tobacco farms,
Tobacco factories, Social media platforms,
Hospitals, Schools, Entertainment centers,
Homes of victims, and Shopping malls.
According to the RDI Executive Director, for stories to be seen as credible the right people should be interviewed.
Some of them are tobacco farmers, students, Children themselves, parents, medical professionals, government officials, victims of tobacco use, tobacco control groups, and teachers, among others.
Also, Mohammed Maikuri if Development Gateway, said the Development Gateway (DG), in collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leads the DaYTA (Data on Youth Tobacco in Africa) program, focusing on addressing critical data gaps related to adolescent tobacco use in Nigeria.
“This initiative aims to gather comprehensive country-level data on tobacco use among young people aged 10 to 17, thereby filling critical evidence gaps and complementing existing data.
“This year, World No Tobacco Day focuses on the theme “Youth step in and speak out #TobaccoExposed,” emphasizing the urgent need to protect young people from the predatory marketing tactics of the tobacco industry.
“ According to the WHO the industry’s strategies aim to create lifelong users by targeting youth, who are increasingly using e-cigarettes at alarming rates. Globally, around 37 million youth aged 13–15 years use tobacco, posing significant health risks and contributing to the growing burden of tobacco-related diseases.”
Meanwhile, other speakers at the event included Mr. Achieng Otieno, Founder, Being Africa, Oluchi Joy Robert, a Tobacco Control Advocate, Caleb Ayong, expressed worry on how tobacco industry covertly engages in product advertisement through product placements in movies, music videos and use of social media to reach the younger audience.
According to a 2020 cross-sectional study of school adolescents in Lagos, Nigeria, the most frequently reported channel of exposure was through product placements, with 62% reporting exposure in films, TV, and videos. Up to 15.2% and 12.6% were exposed to TAPS through promotional activities and sponsorships, respectively.
According to the group, “by TAPS we mean tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) Flavoured Products
The tobacco industry creates flavoured products that are more attractive to young people, making it easier for them to start smoking. Young people getting their hands on thousands of sweet flavours that appeal to their adventurous and sense of taste, leads to product addiction.
