FDA partners with WHO to eliminate illicit tobacco trade in Northern Ghana

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) has trained stakeholders on the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products to advance the enforcement of tobacco control in Ghana.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Secretariat sponsored the two-day training program under the FCTC Project 2030.

The programme brought together officials from the FDA, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Economic and Organized Crime Office, the National Intelligence Bureau, Ghana Immigration Service, the Narcotics Control Commission, and Ghana Tourism Authority among others.

It was to build the technical capacity of law enforcement agencies at the Regional level and enhance coordinating mechanisms for tobacco control at the various sub-national levels.

The training was further aimed at creating awareness of the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products control and identify the roles of relevant stakeholders in the implementation of the protocol.

Speaking on the first day of the programme, Mr. Sebastian Mawuli Hotor, Regional Head of the FDA, noted that tobacco smoking was not openly prevalent in the Region, and said it was probably due to the cultural norms in the Region.

He said even though shisha smoking was still common among some members of the public, it was rare in the Region and attributed the scarcity to the FDA’s protective regulation in the Region.

“We actually do night monitoring in the very active entertainment facilities around. We have had training sessions for them and they are very much aware of the law against the use of tobacco,” he said.

Mr Hotor said the Authority with the support of the Ghana Police Service had over the years confiscated unregistered tobacco, and those who smoked in public places without designated smoking areas were taken on.

“And they are very much aware of the ban on smoking in public places unless in Designated Smoking Areas,” he added.

He said illicit trade was on the rise in the Region, and the FDA through its routine market surveillance, had ceased a number of unregistered tobacco products.

He acknowledged the collaboration between the Authority and the Regional House of Chiefs on tobacco use in their respective traditional areas for customary procedures.

“They are very interested, they appreciate our reasons in ensuring that tobacco use is reduced and contained to the barest minimum,” the Regional Head said.

Mr Hotor called for more collaboration among relevant stakeholders, especially at the borders of the Region to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products, emphasizing that the issue of collaboration was of serious concern to the FDA.

Dr Alex Moyem Kombat, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Research and Policy of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), who took stakeholders through the role of the GRA in combating illicit tobacco trade, said research had shown that there was illicit trade at the various borders.

He said the GRA would continue to collaborate with other relevant stakeholders to fight the menace of illicit trade, as it negatively impacted tobacco control, public health, tax revenue, and the tendency to promote international criminal activities.

Dr Kombat said one of the GRA’s contributions in the fight against illicit trade was the introduction of the tax stamps on products, “All the public needs to do is to download the authenticator from Play store and use it to check illicit.

“Anytime they find illicit, they only have to call and inform GRA about where they found the illicit, and then we will do our investigation and follow up, and if there is the need for arrest, we will do that,” he said.

Some participants in the training program, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency, commended the FDA and its partners for the initiative and stressed the need on their part as stakeholders to strengthen their respective collaborations on the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products.