The Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa ( CTCA) has effectively started its phase II operations, bringing on board a set of five new target countries. The target countries during this phase include, Botswana, Ethiopia, Gambia, Garbon, and Niger. CTCA will continue to provide minimal support to the original five target countries covered during phase I which included Angola, Kenya, Mauritania, South Africa and Uganda.
Like in the previous Phase, CTCA is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) through the Africa Capacity Building Foundation ( ACBF); www.acbf-pact.org.
The host remains Makerere University School of Public Health at (MakSPH); http://www.musph.ac.ug, one of the four schools under the College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) at Makerere University Kampala.
For the next three years, CTCA will mainly focus on two strategic objectives including;
SO1: Strengthening the capacity of target countries to formulate and implement TC policies and Laws in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( FCTC) by making evidence, tools, and technical expertise available;
SO2: Supporting CTCA institutional development and sustainability for the implementation of Tobacco Control Policies and programs in Africa.
The other strategic objectives of CTCA’s five year strategic plan will also be applied as need may arise. These include; supporting mobilization of human and financial resources for sustainable tobacco control at national and regional level; and supporting strengthening of tobacco control partnerships at national and regional levels.
The Strategic Objectives of the Centre will contribute to the strengthening of the National Tobacco Control Programmes (NTCPS) in Africa. The outcomes of the (NTCPS) will focus on high impact WHO-FCTC interventions such as raising tobacco taxes, graphic health warnings, ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship and smoke free environments. Other focus areas include cessation and alternative livelihoods. The cross cutting areas will include tobacco Industry monitoring, coordination, mainstreaming and monitoring.
The strategic outcomes to be attained during this phase include;
1.Countries adopting and implementing policies for farmers transitioning from tobacco farming to alternatives
2.Increased adoption of policies and laws compliant with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
3.Increased Implementation and enforcement of policies and laws compliant with the WHO FCTC
4.National TC Plans developed and implemented
5.Improve efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of CTCA to support TC in Africa
CTCA’s Target countries during phase II
