Experts advise Nigeria to adopt Sweden tobacco reduction strategy for smoke-free society

Stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to adopt Sweden’s tobacco harm reduction (THR) approaches / regulations and implement effective policies to achieve a smoke-free society.

They said by adopting the regulations and ensuring access to non-combustible tobacco alternatives, Nigeria could make significant strides in reducing the burden of smoking-related illnesses, improve public health outcome and as well boost economic growth.

They made the call, yesterday, at the ValueFronteira Limited roundtable discussion on tobacco harm reduction(THR) in Nigeria held in Lagos.

The theme was: “Examining  Tobacco Harm Reduction Measures: The Impact of Harm Reduction Strategies on Smoking Cessation.”

The President of ValueFronteira Limited, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, said Sweden’s strategy, which remarkably reduced its smoking rate from 15 per cent in 2008 to 5.6 per cent in 2023, ‘’is the guide that Nigeria requires to further accelerate the decline in smoking.’’

He said adopting Sweden’s blueprint for a smoke-free country and the associated tobacco harm reduction policies is not just a choice, but a responsibility the Federal Government owes the citizens and the future generations of this country.

Ike-Muonso said Sweden’s success strategy was centered around promoting safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes, such as smokeless tobacco products and nicotine-based tobacco-free alternatives.

He said Sweden’s strategy  could potentially save 15.5 million lives in the next decade if adopted by other African countries, adding that this model is consistent with the Article 1 objective of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), focusing on supply, demand, and harm reduction strategies.

Also speaking, the  Chief Economist and Managing Editor, Proshare,  Mr. Teslim Shitta-Bey, said tobacco smoking presents a global public health crisis as the World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts tobacco-related deaths to rise to 10 million by 2025.

He said the dangers associated with tobacco smoking are not limited to death alone as the economic toll is equally staggering, with substantial smoking-related healthcare and productivity losses as well as negative impacts on the environment.

Shitta-Bey said Swedish experience reaffirms that a smoke-free future is not just a health goal but an economic imperative, noting that several countries are beginning to shift to non-combustible risk reduction tobacco alternatives to reduce the associated health, economic and productivity risks associated.

Shitta-Bey, however,  noted that for Nigeria to replicate Sweden’s success, revisiting and enforcing tobacco harm reduction policies, launching public awareness campaigns, collaborating with the government,  policymakers, media, strengthening knowledge among healthcare professionals, and promoting the affordability of harm reduction products are essential.

He also urged policy makers to play a significant role in this respect by properly classifying THR products as belonging to the health category and reducing the associated excise taxes.

The Associate Professor of Economics, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. David Oke, said to replicate Sweden’s success in reducing smoking rates in Nigeria, the government should also design and enforce effective tobacco harm reduction policies, ensuring access to non-combustible tobacco alternatives as well as regulatory frameworks, public awareness campaigns.

Oke said while the affordability of harm-reduction products can be a barrier to the adoption, Nigeria must enhance affordability to include subsidies, tax incentives, and support for producing affordable harm-reduction products when formulating and executing THR policies and programme.