Ghana to end illicit trade in tobacco products

In addition to the huge losses in public revenue, the illicit trade in tobacco products fuels the tobacco epidemic by increasing its accessibility, accessibility and consumption, which increases the prevalence of tobacco use and ends with weigh on the state.

In order to reverse the danger of illicit trade in this harmful tobacco product for society, the Parliament of Ghana has ratified the "Protocol for the Elimination of the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products".

The document, which was tabled in the House on Thursday, April 11, 2019, was ratified on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, following the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Health.

The protocol aims, inter alia, to eliminate all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products, in accordance with the terms of Article 15 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to secure the supply chain of tobacco products and the planet against the risks badociated with smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke.

Ghana has already ratified the WHO Framework Convention for the Development of the Protocol. The country has also pbaded the Public Health Act since 2012 to fight smoking in Ghana. The Committee therefore recommended that the ratification of the Protocol ensure the protection of citizens against the risks and dangers that the illegitimate trade in tobacco products and their use poses to the general public and to the nation as a whole.

"As a member of the intergovernmental negotiating group, Ghana has led the African region in the negotiations for the drafting and adoption of the Protocol, and the Government through the Ghana Revenue Authority has already implemented most of its provisions, including the introduction of the tax stamp. The protocol must therefore be ratified for Ghana to become a member of the Parties, "the Committee noted.

The protocol would also provide control of the supply chain covering licenses, due diligence, data retention, security and preventive measures, as well as Internet and telecommunications measures. It also covers very important issues relating to offenses, liability, prosecution and sanctions, payment of seizures and special investigative techniques, as well as the disposal and destruction of confiscated goods.

Other key provisions address the issue of international cooperation, such as measures on information sharing, technical and police cooperation, protection of sovereignty, jurisdiction, mutual badistance judicial and administrative matters and extradition. It also establishes the reporting obligations of Parties related to the WHO FCTC reporting system, as well as the financial and institutional arrangements necessary for its implementation.

Illicit trade in tobacco products undermines legal restrictions, sanitary regulations and tobacco control policies and increases the accessibility, affordability and consumption of tobacco products, thereby fueling the tobacco epidemic.

These lead to an increase in the prevalence of smoking and ultimately have a negative impact on public health efforts to reduce the burden of diseases, disabilities and deaths attributed to tobacco-related diseases and noncommunicable diseases.