In collaboration with Renevlyn Development Initiative and Being Africa, Vital Voices for Africa organized a virtual session with journalists from across the continent on Thursday 30 May 2024 to commemorate World No Tobacco Day 2024.

Caleb Ayong, VVA Executive Director speaking at the session.

Opening the session, the VVA Executive Director highlighted that the tobacco industry targets young people in Africa, enticing them with flavored products, thereby perpetuating addiction. He called on participants to stand united against this predatory marketing, adding that our mission should be to shield our children from the clutches of tobacco, empower them with knowledge, and advocate for policies that prioritize their health. He also called on the journalists, whom he said hold immense power, to ignite change, expose industry lies, and inspire action.

Presentations during the event dwelled on how the tobacco industry targets children in Nigeria and Zambia, and provisions of the WHO-FCTC related to the health and rights of children. The session also presented an opportunity for Development Gateway to highlight the lack of sufficient data on adolescent smoking in Africa, and to present its DaYTA initiative.

The Executive Director of VVA proceeded with a presentation on youth tobacco use and how it hinders the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. He also touched on how the media can contribute to bringing the situation under control.

57 journalists participated in this session from 20 countries notably: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.