Ghana Plans to Reduce Tobacco Use Within Five Years and Lower Cardiovascular Disease Rates

The Ghanaian government has developed a five-year tobacco control strategy aimed at eliminating tobacco use and reducing cardiovascular disease rates. Organizations such as the World Health Organization are involved in formulating the strategy and encouraging relevant policymakers to participate. The Ghanaian Ministry of Health calls for the strategy to be translated into actionable steps, while the Food and Drugs Authority emphasizes the impact of illegal tobacco trade on tobacco control. After the strategy is implemented, relevant stakeholders will receive training to eliminate illegal tobacco trade.

According to a report from the Ghana Times in November, the Ghanaian government has established a National Tobacco Control Strategy (NTCS) for five years, with the goal of reducing the country's tobacco consumption rate and ultimately eliminating all tobacco use. 

The strategy was jointly developed by the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, the Food and Drugs Authority, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme, and it encourages tobacco control policymakers to formulate strategies. 

Baffour Awuah, the acting director of the Technical Coordination Office at the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, stated that the rate of cardiovascular diseases is rising due to increased smoking. He encourages all parties to actively engage in discussions to translate this document into actionable steps. 

Olivia Boateng, the director responsible for tobacco and substance abuse prevention at the Food and Drugs Authority, stated that the illegal trade of tobacco products makes these products more accessible at lower prices. The country has made progress in tobacco control policies, but illegal trade "amplifies the tobacco epidemic." 

According to Boateng, after the implementation of the NTCS, relevant stakeholders will receive training on agreements to eliminate the illegal trade of tobacco products domestically.