The Director of Tobacco and Substances Abuse of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Dr Olivia Agyekumwaa Boateng, has assured the public of FDA’s determination to ensure compliance of the laws on tobacco in the country.
She said the Legislation Instrument (LI) on tobacco regulation was to fulfil the provisions on tobacco control specified in section 76 of the public Health Act 2012 (Act 851).
“Some areas covered by the Tobacco control Regulation 2016 (LI 12247) include requirements for areas designated for smoking, display of no signs health warning and messages for tobacco and its products,” she added.
Dr Boateng gave the assurance during her presentation at a stakeholders’ forum in Accra on the theme “Development of Enforcement guide and Communication plan for tobacco control”.
The meeting, which brought together stakeholders in the health sector and other Civil Society Organisations to discuss the National Tobacco Control plan, reviewed the five-year plan, and made inputs into the draft enforcement guide on tobacco advertisement.
The programme was organised under the auspices of the FDA in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
Dr Boateng said the meeting was also to define responsibilities of stakeholders to facilitate the implementation, and enforcement of the tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship ban in Ghana.
Dr Boateng, who is also the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Focal person in Ghana, stated the FDA would ensure that inspections of retailers were conducted to identify and encourage the public to report non-compliances to the FDA.
She said FDA would use appropriate enforcement tools, including administration charges, warning letters and cancellation of registration to address these non-compliances, and facilitate compliance with the Tobacco Advertisement, Promotion and Sponsorship.
The Executive Director of Vision for Alternative Development, a non-governmental organisation in tobacco control, Mr Labram Musah, mentioned some tobacco-related diseases as cancer, hypertension, and also decreases the immune system’s ability to fight diseases.
He said tobacco use puts a burden on the country’s economy in the fight against related diseases.
Mr Musah called on the government to earmark a percentage of taxes on tobacco to support the funding of sensitisation programmes on tobacco.
In attendance were representatives from organisations, including the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Information, the World Health Organisation, the National Film Authority, media, the Ghana Revenue Authority, and the Ghana Standards Authority.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI
