The government has been urged to intensify tobacco control efforts in view of the rising smoker population on the African continent to avert a public health crisis.
Mr Mamadou Biteye, the Executive Secretary of the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), a non-governmental organisation, who made the call, said that was crucial to not only protect the health of the population, but help promote sustainable development.
He was speaking at the opening of the 2nd African Conference on Tobacco Control and Development in Accra yesterday on the theme: 'Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: Advancing the Tobacco Ecosystem in Africa.' Organised by the ACBF in collaboration with the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA), the two-day conference was to provide a platform for participants to share ideas, experiences and research in the area of tobacco control in Africa while providing solutions that would enable the continent to accelerate the implementation of anti-smoke policies in order to ensure a tobacco-free Africa.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that the number of smokers in Africa is expected to double from 84 million in 2000 to 208 million by 2030 if efforts are not accelerated to control the menace.