Accra, A study conducted by Euromonitor International Limited has uncovered that illicit cigarette trade in Ghana constituted 39 percent of total cigarette volume sales in 2018, marking an increase from 35 percent in 2017.
According to Ghana News Agency, The research, which involved 425 retailers, with 384 (90 percent) consenting to participate, found that a total of 4,461 illicit cigarette packs were collected, while single sticks were sold by all retailers. Dr. Arti Singh of the School of Public Health at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology presented the findings at a stakeholders’ meeting organized by Vision for Alternative Development – Ghana (VALD-Ghana). The study, funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), highlighted that the majority of illicit cigarette packs originated from Togo (47 percent) and Nigeria (14 percent), with only seven percent of packs meant for sale in Ghana. It was noted that illicit cigarette sales were significantly higher in provision stores compared to drinking bars and were markedly more prevalent in border towns.
The study also revealed that the middle and coastal zones of Ghana had lower odds of illicit cigarette sales than the northern zones. Recommendations from the survey include the implementation of a national work plan or task force to combat illicit tobacco, development of an efficient track-and-trace system aligned with international protocols, and technical capacity building for law enforcement officers. The project aimed to strengthen tobacco control in Ghana by creating a supportive environment for the implementation of the illicit tobacco protocol (ITP), engaging with national stakeholders, and establishing a track-and-trace system to inform the implementation of the ITP. Ghana ratified the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in October 2021.