Fight Against Tobacco : Officials Agree To Shield Health Policies From Tobacco Lobbyists

The Cameroon Ministry of Public Health, MINSANTE and the Cameroonian Coalition Against Tobacco, C3T, have launched a high-level strategic workshop to train top government officials on countering tobacco industry lobbying. And to also kick off activities for this year’s World No Tobacco Day, which will be marked on May 31, 2026.

Training, Report Launch
The dual-purpose event, held on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 in Yaounde, focuses heavily on building the capacity of the country's Multi-sectoral Tobacco Control Commission. Organizers aim to shield national health policies from commercial interests by strictly enforcing Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization’s, WHO, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, FCTC. It establishes the absolute primacy of public health over industrial profits.

Some Progress
The workshop served as the official launch of the 2025 Tobacco Industry Interference Index Report for Cameroon. The freshly released report reveals a positive trend: Cameroon’s interference score dropped to 76, down from a score of 81 in 2023, explained Mrs. Judith Noël Chekumo, the Executive Secretary of the Cameroon Coalition Against Tobacco.
Higher scores on the index indicate greater corporate meddling, the decrease signals a slight but welcoming improvement in the government’s resistance to industry pressure. Despite this progress, anti-tobacco leaders warn that systematic industrial lobbying continues to actively compromise Cameroon’s legal framework.
"Although Cameroon has really worked in the fight against tobacco, there is still much to do," stated Dr. Joro Taka Colette, Pharmacist and Permanent Secretary of the National Committee for the Fight Against Drugs. "We have notably noticed the interference of the tobacco industry and are going to find solutions, measures to try to counteract and fight effectively against this interference."
According to the report, which evaluates countries based on indicators like government interaction with industry actors and the level of corporate participation in health policies, tobacco companies have successfully caused delays in key health mandates. For example, a ministerial decision signed on April 17, 2025, which required a third rotation of graphic health warnings on cigarette packages, remains poorly implemented because the industry repeatedly requested and obtained deadline extensions.
To counteract these tactics, the workshop is training members of the Inter-ministerial Committee who do not yet master the intricacies of managing relationships with tobacco corporate entities. Beyond capacity building, the Coalition is using the momentum to accelerate critical legislative goals, including the upcoming revision of national tobacco laws and an overhaul of tobacco taxation.
The initiative is heavily backed by financial support from the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, GGTC. Organizers expect the meeting to seal a tight alliance between state decision-makers, civil society, and the media to fully neutralize industrial interference.
This year's localized efforts align with the broader international push for World No Tobacco Day 2026, which is being commemorated on the national theme: "Unmasking the appeal, fighting nicotine and tobacco addiction, " Mrs. Judith Noël Chekumo noted.

Higher scores on the index indicate greater corporate meddling, the decrease signals a slight but w...