Thank you, Chair/ Moderator
Honorable Minister of Health for Ghana Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye,
WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti
Esteemed Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation Mr. Mamadou Beteye,
Dear Chair of the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa Board, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe,
Dear Deputy Director, Global Policy & Advocacy, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Ms. Cyndi Lewis
Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a privilege to join you virtually at this second African conference on tobacco control and development. I would like to extend my gratitude to the African Capacity Building Foundation and all the partners involved for co-hosting this event and inviting the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (or WHO FCTC as we call it).
Tobacco use undermines sustainable development by harming health and straining healthcare systems. Economically, it deepens poverty by increasing healthcare costs, reducing productivity and diverting household income, while environmentally, it causes deforestation, soil degradation, and pollution, among others.
The WHO FCTC is pivotal in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Effective tobacco control measures lead to healthier populations, which support economic growth and social stability and a healthier planet; essential pillars of sustainable development.
Through the FCTC 2030 project, funded by Australia, Norway and the United Kingdom, the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC is supporting countries eligible for Official Development Assistance, including Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ghana, Mozambique, and Tanzania in the Region, to implement robust tobacco control measures. This project provides technical assistance, capacity building, and financial support, ensuring that tobacco control remains a priority on their national development agendas.
A key component of the FCTC 2030 project is the development of the WHO FCTC investment cases jointly with the United Nations Development Program. These investment cases analyze the health and economic costs of tobacco use and the return on investment of implementing key WHO FCTC measures.
Results from 21 countries have shown that implementation of the WHO FCTC could prevent more than 1.4 million deaths and save more than 70 billion USD in economic losses over a 15-year period. Also these key WHO FCTC measures yielded a positive return on investment, through tax increases in particular, which offered the highest return.
I therefore urge all Parties to accelerate the implementation of the WHO FCTC, to look for domestic sources of funding for tobacco control, such as increases in taxes; and for partners and donors to invest in tobacco control.
These actions will be a strategic movement towards a healthier and more prosperous future.
Thank you for your attention, and I wish you a very productive conference.