Experts Suggest Smoke-free Economy For Nigeria

Experts have called on Nigeria to adopt Sweden’s Tobacco smoke-free economy, urging economic managers to take urgent steps to address the substantial economic loss of smoking combustible cigarettes in Nigeria through Tobacco Harm Reduction Policy.

Stakeholders in the Value Fronteira Limited as well as experts in Proshare, stressed the need to achieve a more vibrant economy by considering duplicating Sweden’s tobacco policy to achieve a smoke-free Nigeria in 2024, stressing that, the adverse effect of smoking combustible cigarettes is detrimental to economic growth such that it poses ecological challenge to the ecosystem.

The stakeholders made the call at a roundtable forum event on Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) with the theme: ‘The Impact of Harm Reduction Strategies on Smoking Cessation’ in Lagos.

Speaking earlier in his remarks, president of ValueFronteira Limited, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike- Muonso said, while tobacco use remained a public health concern in Nigeria, smoking reduces economic resilient and poses a staggering productivity in a country’s labour force.

Ike-Muonso said that the economic effects of smoking was estimated at N634 billion annually in 2019, with 0.28 per cent economic burden on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2013 and 2020, quoting the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR).

He affirmed that, adopting Sweden’s blueprint for a smoke-free country and associated tobacco harm reduction policies was not just a choice but a responsibility to citizens and the future generations of Nigeria.

He said: “Sweden has indeed become a beacon of hope in the global fight against tobacco, with its unique approach to tobacco control leading to a significant decrease in smoking rates and a consequent improvement in public health.

“Sweden is on track to becoming Europe’s first ‘Smoke Free’ country, with its smoking prevalence rate expected to drop below five per cent in the coming months and the country’s strategies can potentially save 15.5 million lives in the next decade.”

Ike-Muonso explained that, to drive successful implementation of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) policies, Nigeria must develop a comprehensive THR policy framework aligned with global best practices, tailored to Nigeria’s unique context.

He called for the launch of extensive public awareness campaigns to educate citizens, healthcare professionals and policymakers about the benefits of THR.

Also speaking at the roundtable forum, the chief economist, Proshare, Mr. Teslim Shitta-Bey quoted World Health Organisation (WHO) report that states that tobacco use is responsible for over eight million deaths annually, predicted to rise to 10 million by 2025.

He hinted that, Nigeria spends over N89.5 billion on smoking combustible cigarettes which is 56.5 percent of a state budget in Ekiti state spent on smoking.

Shitta-Bey said, the dangers associated with tobacco smoking are not limited to death alone, but the economic toll is equally staggering, with substantial smoking-related healthcare and productivity losses and negative impacts on the environment.

He said that 8,004 tons of butts and packs of cigarettes end up as toxic trash each year, creating severe ecological impact that is detrimental and damaging.

The economist said many countries are beginning to shift to alternative non-combustible risk reduction tobacco alternatives to reduce the health, economic and productivity risks associated with smoking.

According to him, Sweden has become the global example in shifting to tobacco alternatives and achieving the lowest smoking rates, saying the country’s innovative approach to tobacco harm reduction presents tremendous inspiration to Nigeria.

He noted that only 5.6 per cent of the Swedish population are daily smokers, compared with the EU average of 19 per cent, resulting in the country having the lowest lung cancer rates in Europe and one of the lowest rates of tobacco-related deaths.

On his part, Professor of Economics at the Lagos Business School, Prof. Adi Bongo, said: “with about 50 per cent of Nigerians below the poverty line, people think that issues with smoking are not a major problem, when in reality, it is.”

He stressed that tax policies such as increase in excise tax was not the solution to discourage cigarette smoking, instead, it would lead to increase due to the addiction tendencies of smoking.”