Wa, Nov. 12, GNA – The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is courting stakeholder collaboration in the effective enforcement of Tabaco Control Regulations in the country as part of its enforcement strategies to achieve maximum compliance.
“With the support of the WHO, we have started another regional training, bringing a lot of stakeholders together because we have realized tobacco control is multifaceted”, Dr. Olivia A. Boateng, Head of Tobacco and Substances Abuse Department of the FDA, said.
She was speaking at a stakeholder training on Tobacco Control Regulations in Wa organized by the FDA with funding support from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Traditional Authorities, representatives of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), security agencies, Narcotics Control Commission, and Mental Health Authority among others attended the workshop.
Dr. Boateng explained that the need for collaboration became crucial following a gap analysis the FDA had conducted on the legislative Instrument on tobacco control, including sections of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851) and the Tobacco Control Regulation 2016 (L.I 2247) and the need to bridge those gaps.
According to her, the workshop would lead to the constitution of a regional tobacco control task force to afford the stakeholders the opportunity to pool their expertise and strengths together to implement a regional tobacco control enforcement plan, which was developed at the workshop.
Dr. Boateng said it was against the law to smoke tobacco and tobacco products such as cigarette and shisha in public places such as market centres, lorry stations, and in public transport saying, “Smoking tobacco and its products can only be done in designated areas”.
She said illicit importation of tobacco and its products through unapproved routes was a serious challenge to the FDA and stressed the need for effective collaboration to end the practice.
“With the support of the intelligence officers we have today and the security agencies, if we work hand in hand and share real-time information, we know that we can curb illicit trade in tobacco products, which is a big thing now”, Dr. Boateng explained.
Naa Jamal Kpegla, Kpama Naa, who represented the Wala Traditional Council at the workshop, expressed worry about the rampant smoking of tobacco, especially shisha among boys and girls without recourse to its harmful effects on their lives.
He explained that tobacco and its products were part of items used in customary rights such as funerals and marriage rites and that understanding the harmful effects of tobacco would inform them to review the items.
The Kpama Naa said the Traditional Authorities would work to ensure that the production and illicit importation of tobacco was reduced saying, “We will also engage our people because they are the ones who farm or import tobacco, so that together we can stop its production and importation into our traditional area”.
GNA