Tobacco production is declining globally, but Africa is bucking the trend, with tobacco-leaf production on the continent rising by nearly nine per cent between 2012 and 2024, according to a new analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The report revealed that while global tobacco-leaf production fell by almost 19 per cent during the same period, Africa’s spending on imported cigarettes more than doubled, rising from $833 million to $1.77 billion.
The development means African countries are increasingly producing raw tobacco, largely for export, while simultaneously spending more on imported cigarettes.
“This is not just a tobacco-control issue. It is a health, trade, development and environmental issue,” said Dr Vinayak Prasad, Head of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative.
Prasad noted that tobacco farming exposes farmers and their families to health risks, contributes to environmental degradation and can leave growers trapped in debt.
Africa accounted for about 11 per cent of global tobacco-leaf production in 2024, with major production concentrated in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Uganda. East Africa alone accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the continent’s tobacco-leaf output.
WHO also warned that tobacco cultivation places additional pressure on land and water resources that could otherwise be used for food production and more sustainable livelihoods.
Farmers face several health risks, including green tobacco sickness, which occurs when nicotine from wet tobacco leaves is absorbed through the skin. Exposure to pesticides and tobacco dust also poses health concerns.
The organisation linked tobacco cultivation to soil degradation, deforestation and greenhouse-gas emissions associated with the tobacco-curing process. In some low- and middle-income countries, children from poor households are also involved in tobacco farming, with some missing school to support family income.
WHO said tobacco-leaf exports contribute more than one per cent of GDP in only a few African countries, including Zimbabwe and Malawi, challenging the argument that tobacco production is economically essential to most African economies.
The global health body is calling on governments to support farmers and workers seeking to move away from tobacco production by providing alternative livelihoods. It also urged countries to strengthen tobacco-control measures to reduce the health, economic and environmental burden associated with tobacco use and cultivation.
Under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, countries are encouraged to promote economically viable alternatives for tobacco growers and workers while protecting public health and the environment.
