Zanzibar takes a fresh stand against tobacco—here’s why

ZANZIBAR: MZEE Amour Ali Kombo, a father of three teenagers in Zanzibar, has been fighting a silent battle at home. His 19-year-old daughter secretly picked up the habit of smoking cigarettes while in school, and despite his desperate efforts, he has not succeeded in getting her to quit. “It breaks my heart,” he says.

“I’ve tried everything to convince her that this habit will destroy her health. But I don’t know what else to do.” Kombo is not alone. Across Zanzibar, a growing number of parents are raising concerns about the rising trend of cigarette smoking among adolescents and young adults. Their frustration is compounded by what they see as mixed messages from authorities—warnings about the dangers of tobacco on one hand, and widespread availability of cigarettes on the other. “I fail to understand the logic,” Kombo says.

“If tobacco is so dangerous, why is it still grown, processed, and sold so freely?” Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking, remains a serious concern in Zanzibar, especially among the youth. Although the archipelago introduced anti-tobacco laws in 2012 and accompanying regulations in 2018, implementation has been weak.

The Department of NonCommunicable Diseases (NCDs) under the Ministry of Health attributes this to a lack of funding and enforcement mechanisms. The situation has prompted the department to launch a renewed public campaign during this year’s World No Tobacco Day, observed globally on May 31.

The campaign, themed “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products,” seeks to highlight how the tobacco industry targets young people with deceptive marketing strategies. As part of the campaign, Zanzibar introduced a new Tobacco Compliance and Enforcement Plan (TCEP) aimed at improving regulation enforcement and increasing awareness.

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“We are serious this time,” said Zuhura Saleh Amour, Deputy Manager of the NCDs department. “We’ve launched the TCEP as a roadmap to reduce tobacco use in Zanzibar, especially among our young people, the workforce of tomorrow. We’re now actively looking for funding to make this plan a reality.” The need for urgent action is backed by alarming data.

According to the 2023 Zanzibar NCD STEPS Survey, conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), 15.9 percent of the population reported tobacco use.

The same survey showed that one in four adults suffer from high blood pressure, one in ten has diabetes, and nearly a third (29.3 percent) engage in harmful alcohol consumption, placing the region at increasing risk of non-communicable diseases.

“Tobacco uses alone contributes to four major types of NCDs: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions, and diabetes,” medical experts warn. “It is a leading preventable cause of death and disability.” They also point out that smoking contributes to numerous other health issues such as dental problems, hearing and vision loss, stroke, and complications during pregnancy.

“No part of the body is safe from the effects of smoking,” Dr Omar Mohamed Suleiman, a physician, head on NCDs department in Zanzibar’s health ministry noted. This year’s global theme for World No Tobacco Day shines a spotlight on how the tobacco and nicotine industries disguise their harmful products as trendy and harmless, especially targeting young consumers.

Through flavoured products, attractive packaging, social media marketing, and influencer endorsements, these industries manipulate perceptions, creating the illusion that smoking is a symbol of modernity, freedom, or even wellness. “These tactics are dangerous and dishonest,” said Amour. “Our children are being tricked into addiction.” To counter this, the TCEP focuses on public education, law enforcement training, retail compliance checks, and community-based outreach programs. One of its goals is to control the sale of singlestick cigarettes, which are more accessible and affordable to young people.

Zanzibar’s Minister of Health, Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, urged communities to be proactive in discouraging tobacco use. “Every one of us has a role to play. Talk to your children. Make them understand the risks. And please, don’t send children to shops to buy cigarettes.

That’s how many get started,” he said. Minister Mazrui reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the TCEP and emphasized that it aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages.

Specifically, Target 3.a encourages countries to strengthen implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). “We cannot achieve our health goals if we allow the tobacco epidemic to continue unchecked,” the Minister added.

World No Tobacco Day, first established by the WHO in 1987, is a global initiative to draw attention to the dangers of tobacco use and the urgent need for effective control policies.

It serves as a platform to raise awareness about the environmental, social, and health impacts of tobacco, from deforestation and pollution caused by cigarette production, to the millions of deaths every year from tobacco-related diseases.

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In Zanzibar, the day is not just a symbolic observance, it is a rallying cry for change. Parents like Mzee Amour Kombo are hoping that the renewed commitment from the government and civil society will finally yield results. “I want a future where my children, and all children in Zanzibar, are safe from tobacco,” Kombo says. “We must act now, before it’s too late.”