Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented funding crisis, driven in part by a sharp decline in external health aid, which has fallen by 70% between 2021 and 2025. This shortfall is made worse by a rapidly expanding debt burden in African countries. In 2025, African countries are projected to spend about USD 81 billion…
Philip Morris International’s flagship nicotine pouch brand, ZYN, will feature on Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 car liveries at select races across upcoming seasons. This follows the announcement of an expanded partnership between PMI and Scuderia Ferrari HP, as well as with Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, the single-marque motorsport championship created in 1993, starting in…
Former World Health Organisation (WHO) Director of Research Policy and Cooperation, Professor Tiki Pan, says Low-and Lower-Middle-Income Countries are adopting the WHO position on tobacco harm reduction hook, line and sinker despite stagnant smoking rates and the high morbidity and mortality linked to tobacco in LLMICs. Professor Pan was involved with the agency during the discussions…
In recent years, Africa has increasingly found herself at the crossroads of global health politics. On one side stand Western philanthropists and international organisations with deep pockets and strong convictions about how tobacco control should look. On the other side stand African governments and public health advocates who argue that the continent’s unique realities demand…
Tobacco remains a cornerstone of many African economies, yet several countries in the region continue to grapple with major public health threats linked to tobacco use. This has created a persistent conflict between economic dependence on tobacco and the urgent need to protect public health. Zimbabwe remains the continent’s largest producer of flue-cured tobacco, with its…
The Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) discourse in Africa has suffered major setbacks over the years due to persistent misinformation about nicotine, which continues to cloud public understanding. At the click of a button or tap of a smartphone screen, unverified health rumours can spread within seconds. Amid polarised policy debates and the absence of scientific…
Across the world, countries are racing to become “smoke-free”, and some have already made remarkable progress. Sweden, for example, recently announced that only around 4.5% of its population still smoke cigarettes — the lowest reported rate in Europe. Their success has been celebrated as a model for others to follow. However, beneath the applause lies…
Although there are fewer smokers now than 15 years ago, one in five adults worldwide is still hooked on tobacco. That’s according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest report on tobacco use published on Monday which analyses smoking trends from 2010 to 2024 and concludes the epidemic is far from over. Tobacco use has…
The world is smoking less, but the tobacco epidemic is far from over. A new WHO global report shows the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. Since 2010, the number of people using tobacco has dropped by 120 million – a 27% drop in relative…
United Nations — Tobacco kills up to half its users who don’t quit, a grim reality that highlights the urgent mission of global tobacco control. A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that while many countries have followed the organization’s protocols to reduce tobacco use, major gaps still remain in broader implementation….
