Globally, the trade in illicit tobacco products has increasingly been a source of concern for policymakers, development practitioners, and health officials owing to the adverse social and economic impact on public health, government revenue, and the financial support to criminal networks. Every year, it is estimated that some 600 billion cigarettes, representing over 10 percent of the global cigarette consumption, pass through the black market (WHO, 2015). The pervasiveness of such trade has negative implication for society, especially developing countries who are already faced with weak fiscal capacity and health systems. It is estimated that African countries lose about €10 billion in tax, invariably increasing tobacco-induced health incidence and fatality. There is therefore broad agreement that illicit trade is bad both for government revenues and for public health—for all, except the members of the industry and criminal networks feeding on the illicit trade.
To highlight this issues and propose actionable policies, CSEA organized a workshop on November 30, 2020, to disseminate our report on illicit Tobacco Trade in Nigeria as part of the research conducted for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) on Fostering Effective Tobacco Control Policy Implementation in Nigeria. Specifically, the report highlights the impact of tax changes on illicit tobacco trade as well as cost-effective measures for curbing illicit trade on tobacco products in Nigeria.
Participants were drawn from key stakeholders from the tobacco industry including representatives from the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Tobacco Control Unit from the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Finance, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Cedars Refuge Foundation, Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), experts from the University of Abuja, Development Gateway, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment and the Media.
Download the report for the workshop below