Say No To Tobacco Smoking Health Minister Cautions Smokers
Tobacco drug products smoking is dangerous to your health, so lam calling on smokers to stop using tobacco now," health Minister Cautioned smokers
Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater 
The Minister for Health, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang- Manu, has expressed worry about increasing rates of the deaths of people through the consumption or smoking of health dangerous tobacco drug products in the country.
According to the Health Minister stated that they were surprised to overheard that tobacco-related deaths exceed 5000 annually in Ghana and its associated annual economic burden is estimated at GH¢97 million.
He expressed worry over the development and stated "We all have a responsibility as individuals, government, organizations, civil society organizations (CSOs), Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and stakeholders to make this country and the world ensure a tobacco-free place.
Mr. Agyemang-Manu made the call when he was giving his keynote address at a National Stakeholders Meeting on Tobacco Taxation in Ghana organized by Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) in collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Accra on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.
The meeting which brought together tax authorities and health experts was under the
the theme; "Effective Tobacco System: A win-win for Ghana’s Economy and Public Health.
The meeting is also attended by the representatives from the Agric Committee of Parliament, African Parliamentary Network on Illicit Financial Flows and Tax (APNIFFT)- Ghana, Food and Drugs Authority, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, World Health Organization- Ghana NGOs, Civil Society Members of the press.
This meeting has a national discourse with key decision-makers within the government that make policy decisions especially on tobacco taxation (GRA, Ministry of Finance/Tax Policy Unit, Ministry of Health).
It has broad base discussions on how as a country we wish to progress with respect to tobacco taxation.
The meeting has also gained some level of commitment and assurance from the government on the way forward.
He pointed out that it was not good and proper for the citizenry to sit down aloof to see tobacco drug products continue to kill the smokers, advising the smokers to say no to tobacco smoking in order to reduce the death rates associated with tobacco use in the country.
Mr. Agyemang- Manu lamented that tobacco kills more than 8 million people globally every year, adding that more than 7 million of these deaths are from direct use of tobacco and around 1.2 million are due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
According to him, this evidently has placed a tremendous toll on global health and is recognizably an impediment to the attainment of the sustainable development agenda.
He indicated that more than ever the fight against tobacco use cannot be underestimated, especially as the world battles a global health crisis with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, the 2030 agenda for sustainable development outlines the critical need for effective tobacco control in target 3a "Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate Abuja Declaration (April 2001), African Union member states committed to allocating 15% of their government budgets to health.
He noted that Ghana signed WHO WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004 and since then, had always demonstrated immense political commitment to accelerate its implementation.
In line with this commitment and with the support of the WHO and other stakeholders including CSOs who puts us on our toes consistently, the Minister stated that Ghana as a country has made significant stride in tobacco control.
"Our lead agency, Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has been tremendously in the feat by way of seeing to the passage of the Public Health Act, ( ACT 851) and the Tobacco Control Regulations 2016 (LI 224)," the Minister indicated.
He said the government has seen the implementation of graphic health warnings on tobacco product packaging and the recent finalization of the ratification process for the WHO protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products.
According to the sector minister, this was achieved after an extensive process involving a series of stakeholder consultations spearheaded by the Ministry of Health.
In 2012, the Government of Ghana passed the Public Health Act (851) which includes the Tobacco Control Act that includes measures on smoking in public places; tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; tobacco packaging and labeling, and others.
Following the Act in 2012, The Tobacco Control Regulations (L.I. 2247) entered into force on January 4th, 2017, which provided 18 months for compliance with public smoking restrictions, among other measures and 18 months for compliance with pictorial health warnings from the date the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) issued the new health warnings electronically.
