In furtherance of its research study Tobacco, CSEA participated in The 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health. Participants from around the world presented research papers to highlight the huge strides being made in tobacco control globally.

Dr. Chukwuka Onyekwena reported a study on the potential for tobacco tax to improve public health in Nigeria. The study reported that to be truly effective, tobacco control tax policy in Nigeria would need to see a 275 percent increase in excise tax, a change in tobacco tax structure, and stronger tax administration and revenue-collecting.

Earlier in February, CSEA organized a Download File">policy dialogue on Tobacco control to disseminate the Centre’s findings on the study “The Economics of Tobacco Control: Modelling the Fiscal and Health Effects of a Tobacco Excise Tax Change in Nigeria”. 

The study examines the potential for tobacco tax to improve public health and raise government revenues in Nigeria. Economic losses in the form of medical treatments and loss of productivity from tobacco-related diseases is estimated at US$ 591 million in 2015 (Tobacco Atlas, 2015). Thus, there is an urgent need to implement an effective tobacco control program to curb the epidemic of rising smoking prevalence rates and their impacts.  

Among the several measures for tobacco control, tobacco taxation is widely recognized as the most effective policy tool. Tobacco taxation can prevent millions of smoking-attributable deaths, reduce the number of young people initiating smoking, and contribute to the achievement of national public health objectives in Nigeria. At the same time, it can create the fiscal space needed to finance the country’s economic development and public health programmes.

Yet, the current level of excise tax in Nigeria (at 12 percent of retail price) is very low and well-below the WHO benchmark (set at 75 percent of retail price). This has adverse impact on smoking prevalence and smoking intensity, with attendant health and economic costs at households and national levels. Thus, from the perspective of public health and public finance, there is an urgent need to raise excise tax on tobacco products in the country.The event was held 7-9 March 2018,in Cape Town, South Africa.

Download PDF">Download the full report on the Economics of Tobacco Control

Dear Partners,

We are pleased to announce the launch of our website and company logo as part of our efforts to adapt to the changing research communications landscape.

In 2017, we started considering new ways to use web technologies to increase our visibility, as well as enhance our ability to influence developmental outcomes in Nigeria and Africa at large through evidence-based research.  First, we transformed our website from being product and event-orientated to an issue-based website which reflect current standards and allows for robust interaction with our audiences. With our state-of-the-art website, we are able to effectively showcase our activities and output in a manner that stimulates interest from diverse stakeholders. Next, we have redesigned our logo to emphasize our organization’s strengths and reflect our core values.

Over the past ten years, CSEA has grown and become a research organization of international repute, and has been consistently ranked as one of the leading think tanks in Africa by the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go to Think tank Initiative, since 2008. In addition to providing high-quality analysis within our thematic areas, CSEA has achieved several policy impact through the use of   evidence-based research.

As always, we appreciate your commitment and engagement with CSEA. We will continue striving to deliver the best research outputs to enhance development outcomes in Africa.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chukwuka Onyekwena,

Executive Director,

CSEA.