Two decades of tobacco use prevention and control policies in Cameroon: results from the analysis of non-communicable disease prevention policies in Africa

Abstract

In 2006, the Cameroonian government, aware that tobacco farming generated significant revenue for certain producers, approved a project called “PARTEC” [project supporting the revival of tobacco farming in eastern Cameroon]. Since 2010, this sector therefore has regular subsidies from the Public Investment Budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, in order to boost the national tobacco production [25]. In the 2000s, the international campaign against tobacco championed by WHO and the establishment of the FCTC in 2003, motivated local policy makers to review tobacco prevention policies, resulting in the intensification of these policies and interventions. [...]in 2004, the Ministry of Public Health through the Department of Health Promotion, created a 15 person multisectoral expert group on tobacco called “GROUPE” (Decision No. 00615/D/MSP/DPS of 11 February 2004) [39]. [...]we observed as mentioned by key informants, a 100% effectiveness in the official advertising sector; however we observed posters of cigarette adverts in unofficial environments such as on the walls of pubs, bars, informal drinking spots and shops in all the five cities. [...]the FCTC, recognizing that its recommendations will be detrimental to the farmers who depend on tobacco for their livelihood, encouraged governments to help tobacco farmers make the transition from tobacco to other crops [56].