Public health gains across Africa risk being rolled back as a rapidly expanding youth demographic becomes the new frontline in the fight against tobacco addiction, a new report by the World Health Organization has warned.
The WHO’s Status of tobacco production published on Monday, cautions that Africa’s unique demographic profile where more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25 makes the continent especially vulnerable to rising tobacco consumption.
"While tobacco use has steadily dropped across most parts of the world, the trend in Africa is moving in reverse," the report states.
According to the report, the total number of adult tobacco users in the WHO African Region rose from 59 million in 2000 to 65 million in 2024.
“The rising number of tobacco users in Africa is compounded by the continent’s young population and the growing initiation of tobacco use among young people,” the WHO warns.
The report also indicates that early experimentation among young people poses a long-term threat to public healthcare systems and development goals across the region.
“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,” the report states.
The report also highlights a growing economic and health contradiction across African countries, including Kenya.
While several nations remain key suppliers and exporters of raw tobacco leaf and manufactured cigarettes, the financial benefits are increasingly outweighed by the public health fallout.
“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 WHO notes.
Health advocates in Kenya and across the continent are urging governments to tighten enforcement of tobacco advertising bans, step up youth education campaigns, and accelerate the full implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to protect the next generation from long-term addiction.
