• As cigarette import bill more than doubles to $1.77bn
• Africa produced over 639,000 tonnes of tobacco leaf in 2024 alone

New analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that despite significant global decline, Tobacco-leaf production has continued to rise in Africa, with concerns over the health, economic, environmental and sustainable development implications of the trend.

The analysis showed that global tobacco-leaf production declined by nearly 19 per cent between 2012 and 2024, while production in Africa increased by almost nine per cent over the same period. It also found that Africa’s cigarette import bill more than doubled during the period, rising from $833 million to $1.77 billion.

According to the WHO, the figures point to a development pattern in which African countries are producing and exporting increasing quantities of raw tobacco leaf while spending substantially more on imported manufactured cigarettes.

The agency also revealed that Africa accounted for around 11 per cent of global tobacco-leaf production in 2024, producing more than 639,000 tonnes.

The Head of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, Dr Vinayak Prasad, said the development should not be viewed solely as a tobacco-control issue, but also as a health, trade, development and environmental concern.

Prasad said tobacco farming exposed workers and their families to serious health risks, damaged the environment and could trap farmers in cycles of debt, while African economies were spending more on imported cigarettes that fuel addiction, disease and premature death.

WHO noted that production was highly concentrated in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Uganda, accounting for the large majority of the continent’s tobacco output. It added that East Africa alone accounted for nearly 90 per cent of African tobacco-leaf production.

The WHO said tobacco cultivation continued to consume land, water and other natural resources that could otherwise be used for food production and sustainable livelihoods. It said tobacco farming was associated with soil degradation, pesticide exposure, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions from the curing process.

The organisation also highlighted health risks faced by tobacco farmers, including green tobacco sickness, which is caused by nicotine absorbed through the skin while handling wet tobacco leaves, as well as exposure to pesticides and tobacco dust.

The WHO further challenged the argument that tobacco was economically indispensable to most countries, noting that tobacco-leaf exports accounted for more than one per cent of gross domestic product in only a small number of economies, including Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Under Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, countries are encouraged to promote economically viable alternatives for tobacco workers and growers and protect the environment and human health from the harms associated with tobacco cultivation.

The WHO therefore called for stronger support for countries seeking to diversify away from tobacco production, protect farming communities, strengthen tobacco-control policies and reduce the economic burden associated with tobacco use and trade.