Afrique contre le tabac (ACONTA) launched the report on the tobacco industry’s interference index in Burkina Faso. It was on Monday, October 25, 2021 in Ouagadougou, in the presence of several institutions partners in the fight against this public health phenomenon, including the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Crafts the Minister of Health the World Health Organization (WHO) in Burkina Faso and the Burkina Faso Network of Journalists for Tobacco Control, all recipients of the memorandum.
This report, Burkina’s first of its kind on the tobacco industry interference index, assesses how the government responds to tobacco industry tactics using the guidelines of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC (guidelines for the implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control), relating to the protection of public health policies on tobacco control from the commercial and other interests of the tobacco industry.
The study covers the period from 2014 to March 2021. Fourteen African countries (80 participating countries worldwide) were selected to conduct research on cases of interference. ” Scores range from 0 to 100. Burkina Faso obtained a score of 57 points and was ranked 10th out of 14 African countries “, states the report.
ACONTA officials recommend that the Burkinabe government make all interactions with the tobacco industry transparent, by exposing them to the press and civil society. to repeal the ” codentify “The aim is to establish a tracking and tracing system for tobacco products that is totally independent of the tobacco industry and compliant with the protocol.
The organization also recommends the adoption of a code of conduct on interactions between members of government, public administration and the tobacco industry, and regulations to prohibit the so-called socially responsible activities of the tobacco industry.
