The Director General of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Niger, Dr. Qasma Ghali has hailed CTCA’s partnership with the Government of Niger which she said will go a long way in enhancing the implementation of tobacco control in the country.
Dr. Ghali was officiating at the opening of the tobacco control coordination workshop for partners in Niger, held at the Sahel Hotel in Niamey, December 18, 2015. She said tobacco use is a danger to public health because it kills more people than any of the other diseases. She lamented the high rate of tobacco use in Niger currently at 15% for boys and 5.7% for girls according to the Global Youth Survey, 2009.
The meeting organized by the Ministry of Health and facilitated by CTCA is aimed at bringing together all Tobacco Control actors in Niger to initiate the establishment of a coordination mechanism for effective implementation of tobacco control in the country. It is attended by a multi-sectoral team of actors from the various implementing sectors, the media and Civil Society.
The WHO Country Communications Officer, Mokhfar Hakima stressed the need for coordination among partners adding that it would make it easier for WHO to provide the required technical assistance and streamline implementation.
Mr. Mokhfar said the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) determined to give priority to their right to protect public health, with coordination as a key guiding principle requiring comprehensive multi-sectoral measures and coordinated.
Speaking on behalf of CTCA, Ms. Jennifer Kalule-Musamba, the Acting Centre Manager reiterated CTCA’s commitment to supporting Niger to roll out the implementation of its law. She said coordination has far reaching benefits including complementarity of each other’s efforts, elimination of duplication and unhealthy competition, coordinated response to tobacco industry interference as well as maximum use of resources.
At the end of the two day meeting, the partners agreed on a model for coordinating the implementation of their activities and called on CTCA to facilitate the process to ensure harmonization.
a plan and implement Tobacco Control actvitiin a coordinated and harmonious manner to avoid duplication, unhealthy competition, & utilize the limited resources well
15 % de garçons fument ; Boys smoke
5,8 % de filles fument.- girls smoke
for stressed the need for coordination among tobacco control partners in
To bring all Tobacco Control actors in the country together to plan and implement Tobacco Control in a coordinated and harmonious manner to avoid duplication, unhealthy competition, & utilize the limited resources well
It is also meant to have a unified response to tobacco industry interference.