- Zimbabwe Targets 70-Year Life Expectancy in Ambitious New Health Strategy
- Blood Group O in Zimbabwe: Why Hospitals Can Never Have Enough
- Vaccine Storage Temperature Guidelines: What Health Facilities Must Know
- Trump Signs Historic US$5.88 Billion Package to Expand HIV Funding
- African Heads of State Commit to Advance Local Manufacturing of Health Products
Africa’s Nicotine Moment: What to Watch in 2026
By Joseph Magero As Africa moves into 2026, the continent is quietly becoming one of the most consequential battlegrounds for the future of tobacco harm reduction. With a fast-growing population, limited healthcare capacity, and millions of adult smokers, policy decisions taken in the next year will determine whether smoking declines rapidly or remains entrenched for
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Africa Cannot Afford Another Year of Delay: The Case for Embracing Safer Nicotine Alternatives
By Joseph Magero, Campaign for Safer Alternatives (CASA) As another year ends, it’s important to reflect on Africa’s position in the global fight against smoking-related diseases. Unfortunately, the familiar pattern continues: while the rest of the world adopts modern harm reduction strategies, Africa remains significantly behind, stuck in outdated methods that don’t address current public
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Policy Capture at COP11: What It Signals for Global Health Governance
By Dr Vivian Manyeki, Public Health Specialist and Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocate In the busy corridors of the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Geneva, a heated exchange occurred. A young delegate, determined and armed with data, confronted a representative of a major global foundation.
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Do as I Say, Not What’s Best: The Perils of Philanthro-Colonialism at COP11
By Own Correspondent As the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) concluded last week, experts on the sidelines raised concerns about the misuse of Article 5.3, which has increasingly hindered engagement with diverse stakeholders. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) restrictive interpretation of this article has effectively
Read MoreHealth Experts Warn WHO Against Full Tobacco Ban and Call for Balanced Regulation
By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma For decades, global public health experts have agreed on one thing: banning a dangerous substance rarely eliminates its use. It often pushes the trade underground, where governments lose visibility and control. Regulation, however, gives policymakers room to monitor, manage and gradually reduce harm. This tension now sits at the center of
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Health Experts Warn WHO Against Full Tobacco Ban and Call for Balanced Regulation
By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma For decades, global public health experts have agreed on one thing: banning a dangerous substance rarely eliminates its use. It often pushes the trade underground, where governments lose visibility and control. Regulation, however, gives policymakers room to monitor, manage and gradually reduce harm. This tension now sits at the center of a
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Experts Criticize WHO for Ignoring Evidence on Safer Smoking Alternatives
By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma The Conference of the Parties (COP) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been ignoring emerging scientific evidence on tobacco harm reduction. Experts say the organisation continues to enforce restrictions that are not fit for purpose, while global smoking rates remain high. Tobacco harm reduction refers
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The Right to Know: Why Access to Tobacco Harm Reduction Information Is a Matter of Human Rights
By HealthTimes When forty-seven-year-old Idai Moyo from Harare finally managed to quit smoking after two decades, it wasn’t because she suddenly found the willpower that had eluded her for years. It was because she discovered something she hadn’t known existed — a smoke-free nicotine alternative that allowed her to move away from cigarettes gradually, without withdrawal
Read MoreWhy Harm Reduction Matters More in Africa
By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma The African Tobacco Control Alliance (ACTA) defines Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) as a public health strategy aimed at lowering the health risks to individuals and society associated with combustible tobacco products. This approach is based on the understanding that most harm linked to tobacco use comes from the chemicals released and
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WHO Clings to Outdated Dogma
By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma When it came into effect in 2005, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was hailed as a landmark global health treaty. Two decades later, however, health experts say the treaty has largely failed to deliver on its promise to significantly reduce global smoking rates. The FCTC urged governments to
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