.Tobacco-leaf production is declining globally but continues to increase in Africa, with output on the continent rising by almost nine per cent between 2012 and 2024, according to an analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The report found that global tobacco-leaf production dropped by nearly 19 per cent during the same period. At the same time, Africa’s spending on imported cigarettes more than doubled, increasing from $833 million to $1.77 billion.
The figures indicate that African countries are producing increasing quantities of raw tobacco for export while also spending more on imported cigarettes.
“This is not just a tobacco-control issue. It is a health, trade, development and environmental issue,” said Dr Vinayak Prasad, head of the WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative.
Prasad said tobacco cultivation exposed farmers and their families to health risks, contributed to environmental degradation and could leave growers burdened by debt.
Africa accounted for about 11 per cent of global tobacco-leaf production in 2024, with output concentrated mainly in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Uganda. East Africa alone was responsible for almost 90 per cent of the continent’s production.
The WHO said tobacco cultivation also placed pressure on land and water resources that could otherwise be used for food production and more sustainable livelihoods.
Farmers face a range of occupational health risks, including green tobacco sickness, which occurs when nicotine from wet tobacco leaves is absorbed through the skin. Workers may also be exposed to pesticides and tobacco dust.
The organisation linked tobacco cultivation to soil degradation, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions produced during the curing of tobacco leaves.
In some low- and middle-income countries, children from poor households are also involved in tobacco farming, with some reportedly missing school to help supplement family incomes.
Despite the scale of production, the WHO said tobacco-leaf exports contributed more than one per cent of gross domestic product in only a small number of African countries, including Zimbabwe and Malawi.
The finding challenges claims that tobacco production is economically indispensable to most African economies, the organisation said.
The WHO called on governments to assist tobacco farmers and workers who want to move away from the crop by helping them develop alternative and sustainable sources of income.
It also urged countries to strengthen tobacco-control measures to reduce the health and economic costs associated with tobacco use and trade.
Under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, countries are encouraged to promote economically viable alternatives for tobacco growers and workers while protecting human health and the environment from the effects of tobacco cultivation.
