The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged African governments to act urgently against evolving tactics by the tobacco industry, which it says is deliberately targeting children and young people with new nicotine products.
In a message for World No Tobacco Day 2026, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, warned that nicotine addiction is not accidental but a calculated business strategy designed to hook users from a young age for lifelong profits.
This year’s theme, “Unmasking the appeal – countering nicotine and tobacco addiction,” focuses on exposing how the industry designs, flavours, packages, and markets its products to attract new users.
Africa has made significant progress over the past two decades in reducing tobacco use through strong legislation, smoke-free public spaces, and higher taxes. As a result, the continent still has some of the lowest smoking rates globally. However, these gains are now at risk.
Dr Janabi noted that while the industry’s goal remains recruiting new users, its methods have become more sophisticated. Manufacturers add sugars, fruit flavours, menthol, and cooling agents to mask nicotine’s harshness, making products easier to use and more appealing to beginners. Many modern devices also allow users to unknowingly increase nicotine strength and exposure to harmful substances.
“Young people are the primary targets of these tactics. Because the teenage brain is still developing, it adapts very quickly to nicotine. Even small amounts of exposure can cause strong dependence, harm brain development, and lead to a lifetime of addiction,” he said.
He added that statistics show nine out of ten adults who smoke daily began before the age of 18. With over 60 percent of Africa’s population under 25, the potential long-term impact is particularly severe.
The WHO stresses there is no safe level of tobacco or nicotine use. Products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches all carry serious health risks. Health officials also debunked the myth that nicotine relieves stress. It actually creates dependency, and the “relaxation” felt is merely relief from withdrawal.
Nicotine pouches, in particular, pose an acute poisoning danger to young children who may swallow them accidentally.
While quitting brings rapid health benefits, such as improved lung function within weeks and a halved risk of heart disease within a year, prevention remains the most effective strategy.
Governments are being called upon to close legal loopholes by banning flavours and additives that appeal to minors, enforcing stricter packaging rules, and reducing nicotine levels to non-addictive concentrations. Dr Janabi strongly warned against allowing tobacco industry interference in public health policy: “Companies that profit from addiction should have no seat at the table where solutions are decided.”
Lesotho stands out as one of Africa’s countries with the highest tobacco use rates. According to WHO 2024 global tobacco prevalence estimates, 49.4 percent of Basotho men aged 15 and above use tobacco, far above the African regional average of 16.6 percent.
When both sexes are combined, Lesotho’s age-standardised prevalence rate is 28 percent, nearly three times the African average of 9.5 percent, making it the highest on the continent.
Among women, the rate stands at 6.6 percent, matching the global female average but well above Africa’s 2.5 percent average, signalling a concerning rise in tobacco use among Basotho women.
In absolute numbers, Lesotho has approximately 391,000 tobacco users (343,000 men and 47,000 women), including around 323,000 active smokers. Despite its small population of just over 2.1 million, the country’s per capita tobacco use is among the highest in Africa.
Summary
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged African governments to act urgently against evolving tactics by the tobacco industry, which it says is deliberately targeting children and young people with new nicotine products.
- In a message for World No Tobacco Day 2026, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, warned that nicotine addiction is not accidental but a calculated business strategy designed to hook users from a young age for lifelong profits.
- This year’s theme, “Unmasking the appeal – countering nicotine and tobacco addiction,” focuses on exposing how the industry designs, flavours, packages, and markets its products to attract new users.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
