Tobacco Control Data Initiative - TCDI

09/06/2026

🎙️To commemorate World No To***co Day, CSEA's Director of Research, Dr Adedeji Adeniran, unpacks the modern challenges of to***co control and how to***co control stakeholders can win the fight on the latest episode of the To***co Control Conversations podcast with Kemi Faith Odesola.

Key highlights include:

👉Countering "Partial Facts": The industry frequently publishes partial data highlighting short-term economic benefits like jobs and taxes. Independent research must counter this with comprehensive benefit-cost analyses that expose the overwhelming, long-term negative net economic impact on national systems.

👉Transitioning to Dynamic Policy: Static policies fail because the industry constantly sidesteps regulations with new alternative products. Effective policy must be dynamic, comprehensive, and forward-looking, regulating new ni****ne variants before they hit the market.

👉Leveraging Data for Advocacy: We cannot fight modern marketing with outdated advocacy models. Stakeholders must leverage independent data as a tool to organise communities, empower advocates, and structurally constrain the industry's ability to propagate misinformation.

🎬 Watch the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/d6vHACgG

***coControl ***coDay ***coexposed

31/05/2026

29/05/2026

On this ***coDay, here is what the data across our region is actually telling us:

📈 Prevalence is rising in key markets — driven not just by traditional ci******es but by New and Emerging Ni****ne and To***co Products (NENTPs) that are reshaping the epidemic in real time.

👨 Men continue to use to***co at significantly higher rates than women. But the gender story is more complex than it appears — in some markets, female uptake is quietly increasing.

🧒 Youth are being deliberately targeted.

In South Africa, our recent spot-check survey confirms prevalence has risen beyond already high GATS benchmarks, with NENTPs accelerating the curve.
In Zambia, the risk is not only about who smokes. Secondhand smoke exposure in enclosed public spaces is itself a driver of to***co uptake, turning passive exposure into active use over time.
In Kenya, adolescent uptake is shaped by four clear drivers: family member usage, peer influence, product curiosity, and attractive packaging.
In Nigeria, being out-of-school correlates directly with higher to***co vulnerability.
In the DRC, adult usage has grown from 10.3% to 12.6% over a single decade. Behind that number sits two entirely different consumption profiles split sharply along gender lines — with higher prevalence amongst males, dominated by manufactured ci******es.

Data is the foundation of every effective policy.

🔗 Explore the To***co Control Data Initiative dashboard:

• South Africa: https://southafrica.to***cocontroldata.org/en
• Zambia: https://zambia.to***cocontroldata.org/en
• Kenya: https://kenya.to***cocontroldata.org/en
• Nigeria: https://nigeria.to***cocontroldata.org/en
• DRC: https://drc.to***cocontroldata.org/fr
• Ethiopia: https://ethiopia.to***cocontroldata.org/en

Development Gateway Centre for Trade Policy and Development International Institute for Legislative Affairs Health, Development and Anti-Malaria Association - HDAMA Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa CANSA The Cancer Association of South Africa Tax Justice Network Africa World Health Organization African Region
***coDay2026 ***coControl ***coExposed

28/05/2026

🚨 The to***co industry has a new strategy and Africa's youth are the target.

E-ci******es. Ni****ne pouches. "Harm reduction" messaging designed to look progressive.

⚠️But the data tells a different story:

→ E-cigarette use is rising sharply among university students
→ Industry narratives are being used to stall life-saving policy

📊This is why evidence-based tools like the TCDI Dashboard matter. It gives policymakers, CSOs, and the general public a single trusted source of data to cut through the noise and advocate for real change.

🚭 As World No To***co Day 2026 approaches, the question isn't whether we have the data. It's whether we are using it.

🔗 Access credible to***co control data: to***cocontroldata.org/en

Centre for Trade Policy and Development Development Gateway
International Institute for Legislative Affairs
Health, Development and Anti-Malaria Association - HDAMAAMA
Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa
Alliance Congolaise pour le Contrôle de Tabac - ACCT
CANSA The Cancer Association of South Africa

***coControl ***coDay

27/05/2026

🚭Au-delà de ses conséquences sanitaires, le tabac représente un lourd fardeau économique et social pour le Sénégal :

▪️ 122 milliards FCFA de coût économique annuel ;
▪️ 74 milliards FCFA de dépenses médicales directes ;
▪️ 2.1 % des décès attribuables au tabac.

📊À l’occasion de la Journée mondiale sans tabac, TCDI et le CRES publient un factsheet sur les impacts du tabagisme au Sénégal. Le document met en lumière les stratégies marketing de l’industrie du tabac ciblant particulièrement les jeunes et les populations vulnérables, et formule des recommandations pour renforcer les politiques de lutte antitabac.

**********************

🚭Beyond its health consequences, to***co imposes a heavy economic and social burden on Senegal:
▪️CFAF 122 billion in annual economic costs;
▪️CFAF 74 billion in direct medical expenditures;
▪️2.1% of deaths attributable to to***co use.

📊On the occasion of World No To***co Day, TCDI and CRES are publishing a factsheet on the impacts of to***co use in Senegal. The document highlights to***co industry marketing strategies targeting young people and vulnerable populations, and provides recommendations to strengthen to***co control policies.

Tax Justice Network Africa
WHO FCTC
World Health Organization African Region

***coDay ***coControl ***co

27/05/2026

📊 New Spot Check Survey data from the To***co Control Data Initiative (TCDI) spanning South Africa, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo reveals a to***co and ni****ne landscape that is deeply localised and uneven.

Key findings include the following:

→ Entrenched daily cigarette smoking in surveyed provinces.
→ Rising smokeless to***co use, often shaped by gender
→ Early initiation among adolescents
→ Rapid spread of emerging ni****ne products
→ Persistent second-hand smoke exposure across communities

But here is what the data makes most clear:

Ahead of ***coDay2026, this evidence is a call for to***co control strategies that are as targeted and specific as the problem itself , grounded in local realities.

📖 Read the full blog: https://cseaafrica.org/postdetails/unmasking-the-appeal-spot-check-prevalence-survey-findings-on-to***co-and-ni****ne-use-in-south-africa-zambia-and-the-drc-1

Centre for Trade Policy and Development
Development Gateway
International Institute for Legislative Affairs
Health, Development and Anti-Malaria Association - HDAMA
Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa
Alliance Congolaise pour le Contrôle de Tabac - ACCT
CANSA The Cancer Association of South Africa

***coControl ***coDay ***coFreeAfrica

25/05/2026

Misinformation isn't accidental; it is engineered.

Ahead of ***coDay2026, the Deputy Director of Programmes at Development Gateway, Andrea Ulrich, breaks down exactly how the to***co industry obstructs health policy with misinformation — and how to***co control stakeholders can use data and critical analysis to fight back.

In this expert analysis, she covers:
✅ To***co industry misinformation tactics
✅ How to critically evaluate industry-influenced information
✅ The WHO 3x35 Initiative and what it means for the future of to***co control.

Whether you are a public health professional, policy advocate, or data practitioner, this is essential viewing this World No To***co Day week.

🔗 Watch the full video https://youtu.be/RNU8cacqq2M?si=dW2YyJ82zA-ENSBV

Development Gateway Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa Centre for Trade Policy and Development World Health Organization African Region International Institute for Legislative Affairs Health, Development and Anti-Malaria Association - HDAMA Centre for Trade Policy and Development

***coDay2026 ***coControl

22/05/2026

🚭 Yesterday, 21 May 2026, to***co control stakeholders, including the Zambia Ministry of Health, gathered in Lusaka for the joint launch of the To***co Control Data Initiative (TCDI) Spot Check Survey Report and the inception of the Data on Youth and To***co in Africa (DaYTA) project. 🇿🇲

📊 Following the historic passage of Zambia’s landmark To***co Control Bill, reliable local data is more important than ever. These initiatives will generate critical evidence to address the evolving ni****ne landscape, strengthen public health efforts, and support effective implementation of the new legislation. ***coControl

🔗Learn more about our research here- https://zambia.to***cocontroldata.org/en/home/industry-interference/

Development Gateway
Centre for Trade Policy and Development
Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa
Centre For Primary Care Research - CPCR
Ministry of Health Zambia
Master Chimbala Foundation
To***co Free Association of Zambia - Tofaza
World Health Organization African Region

***cocontrol

20/05/2026

🚨 Kenya's to***co industry interference score rose from 33 in 2019 to 46 in 2025, indicating a rise in the level of the to***co industry's interference in policy development and implementation.

Six of seven interference sub-indicators worsened over that period.

This isn't accidental. It's the result of deliberate and coordinated to***co industry tactics.

The tactics are sophisticated: court cases that delay regulation for years, CSR programs designed to buy goodwill with government institutions, lobbying against tax increases, using front groups to oppose health warnings, direct interference in regulatory processes, and so much more.

📄A new policy brief from the To***co Control Data Initiative (TCDI) Kenya outlines what Kenya must do to reverse the trend, with specific examples and concrete policy recommendations for how Kenya can fight back.

https://kenya.to***cocontroldata.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/TCDI-Kenya-Industry-Interference-Policy-Brief-Final-USE-Feb-2026.pdf

International Institute for Legislative Affairs
NCD Alliance Kenya
The Ministry of Health
To***co Control Board, Kenya
To***co Control and Health Promotion Alliance

***coControl ***coIndustryInterference

14/05/2026

🚨 A newly released policy brief from the To***co Control Data Initiative (TCDI) highlights ongoing to***co industry interference in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 🚭🌍

According to the 2025 To***co Industry Interference (TII) Index, the DRC scored 72 and ranked 76th out of 100 countries assessed globally, pointing to continued industry influence on public health governance and to***co control implementation.

🔍 Key interference strategies identified include:
▪️Lobbying government actors and decision-makers
▪️Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities used to improve industry image
▪️Attempts to influence public health discussions and regulation
▪️ Weak transparency around interactions with the to***co industry
▪️Gaps in implementing WHO FCTC Article 5.3 safeguards

As ***coDay approaches, these findings reinforce the urgent need to protect health policies from commercial and vested interests that undermine to***co control efforts. ⚖️🩺

📌 Recommended actions include:
✅ Strengthening enforcement of Article 5.3 guidelines
✅ Increasing transparency in government-industry interactions
✅ Restricting to***co industry participation in policymaking
✅ Improving monitoring and accountability mechanisms

📄 Access the policy brief:

🔗 English Version:https://drc.to***cocontroldata.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/TCDI-DRC-To***co-Industry-Interference-Brief-EN-1.pdf

🔗 French Version:https://drc.to***cocontroldata.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/TCDI-DRC-To***co-Industry-Interference-Brief-FR.pdf

🌐 Explore the full TCDI DRC page:

🔗 English: https://drc.to***cocontroldata.org/en/home/interference-de-lindustrie/

🔗 French: https://drc.to***cocontroldata.org/fr/home/interference-de-lindustrie/

Alliance Congolaise pour le Contrôle de Tabac - ACCT
ATCA - African To***co Control Alliance
Tax Justice Network Africa
Organisation mondiale de la Santé en RDC
The African Capacity Building Foundation
Campaign for To***co-Free Kids
Initiative Locale pour le Développement Intégré
WHO FCTC

***coControl ***coIndustryInterference ***coDay ***coFree #