Kampala, March 10, 2015
The Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) has been applauded for the achievements in the target countries over the last one year. This was during the second sitting of CTCA Steering Committee for Phase II currently under way at the Sheraton Hotel, in Kampala, Uganda. The Chairperson of the Committee, also Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Makerere University, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe said the Centre has made land mark contributions to the various tobacco control initiatives in Africa, for which it should credited. He specifically cited the support provided by CTCA to the passing of the tobacco control Act, 2015 in Uganda which he said is a great achievement to the Government of Uganda, CTCA and all the Tobacco Control Partners. Prof. Nawangwe also congratulated the Centre upon winning the bid to co-host the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCOTOH) to be held in Capetown, South Africa from March -11, 2018.
The Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health, also Director of the Center, Prof. William Bazeyo stressed the need for the Centre to be supported by the Steering Committee in order to be more responsive to the upcoming issues in Tobacco Control in Africa. He hailed the support of WHO which he said has been crucial in ensuring smooth operations of the Centre in the countries where WHO has opened up the doors. Prof. Bazeyo said the Centre has a competent team that can adequately support countries to adopt and implement comprehensive tobacco control legislations compliant to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( FCTC).
The Vice President of the Africa Bureau for the Conference of Parties to the WHO FCTC Ms. Dorcus Kiptui decried the political interference in the implementation of the tobacco control in the various African countries, cautioning that this a critical area that needs to be monitored as the tobacco industry could be behind such interference.
Dr. William Maina, WHO Afro, urged the members to ensure that their countries make full use of the available resources in CTCA, adding that when the uptake is slow, it becomes difficult to convince the donor to increase support for Africa, and yet many countries still need to be supported.
The Steering Committee members pledged their commitment to supporting CTCA by providing the necessary guidance that will propel the Centre to a higher level as it supports countries to adopt and implement evidence based tobacco control strategies.
The two day meeting, March 9-10, is attended by members from Uganda the host of the Centre, target countries in Phase II including Botswana, Gabon, Gambia, and Niger, a representative from the Africa Bureau of the Conference of Parties, the Dean Makerere University School of Public Health, and a representative from WHO Afro. It is chaired by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration, Makerere University, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
assured Africa of CTCA’s technical support particularly in terms of developing and implementing