Kenya exported an estimated Sh9.1 billion worth of cigarettes in 2024, placing it second in Africa behind South Africa, a new World Health Organization report has shown.
“The top five countries for cigarette exports South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zimbabwe accounted for more than half (63.3%) of Africa’s cigarette exports in 2024,” the WHO report says.
The WHO’s Status of tobacco production and trade in Africa, released on Monday, warns the continent is producing more raw tobacco even as the economic and public health risks deepen.
The report also placed Kenya among Africa’s top 10 tobacco-leaf growers, with production of 11,583 tonnes in 2024.
Kenya was seventh, behind Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia.
Kenya was also listed among the continent’s main tobacco-leaf importers, accounting for 4% of African leaf imports in 2024, and among the main leaf exporters.
The data suggest Kenya’s tobacco economy is more significant in cigarette manufacturing and regional trade than in raw-leaf production.
Across Africa, tobacco-leaf production increased by 8.61% between 2012 and 2024, even as global production fell by 18.82%, the report says.
Africa produced 639,130 tonnes of tobacco leaf in 2024, about 10.81% of global output.
Eastern Africa dominates the continent’s leaf supply, accounting for more than half of Africa’s tobacco-leaf production.
Zimbabwe alone produced 204,911 tonnes, followed by Malawi with 109,531 tonnes and Tanzania with 103,674 tonnes.
“Even with these significantly higher overall improvements in Africa, their 2024 yield is around two thirds of the global yield,” WHO says.
For Kenya and other African countries, the central policy concern is not simply production but the widening gap between raw-tobacco exports and imports of finished products.
“Although Africa remains a net exporter of tobacco leaf, imports of manufactured tobacco products, particularly cigarettes, have increased substantially, with the continent’s cigarette import bill more than doubling since 2012,” the report states.
WHO argues that the numbers expose an imbalance in which African countries continue to supply raw tobacco but retain limited economic benefits while absorbing health, environmental and social costs.
“While many African countries continue to produce and export raw tobacco, the broader economic contribution of the sector remains limited, while the health, environmental and social costs associated with tobacco production and consumption continue to be borne domestically,” the report says.
The report also points to a growing public health challenge.
WHO estimates that adult tobacco users in the WHO African Region rose from 59 million in 2000 to 65 million in 2024, even as the number of tobacco users globally declined.
It warns that population growth and Africa’s youthful demographic profile could intensify the burden unless tobacco uptake is checked. More than 60% of the continent’s population is under 25, according to the report.
“If tobacco use initiation is left unchecked, it could reverse gains in tobacco control, slow progress towards global health targets and significantly increase the burden of tobacco-related diseases in the coming decades,” WHO says.
