Mauritius becomes the first African country to fully implement the complete package of tobacco control measures from the World Health Organization (WHO), focused on reducing tobacco use and reducing related deaths.
Called MPOWER Package, the WHO tobacco control package is a set of six measures to help countries monitor tobacco use and the effectiveness of preventive measures; establish measures to protect people from tobacco smoke and help them quit; ensure warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and raise taxes on tobacco. The measures are aimed at assisting countries to curb the demand for tobacco.
Mauritius’ achievement was recognized during the launch of the Ninth WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic. According to a national survey, Mauritius recorded a 25% decline in smoking prevalence among adults between 1992 and 2021.
The country’s Prime Minister, Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said, “With a strong political commitment, we have made great progress in tobacco control policies in Mauritius. Our country has adopted the MPOWER strategy and is moving resolutely towards a smoke-free country.”
Mauritius has pioneered tobacco control legislation, as it was among the first countries in the world to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004 and also the first to impose pictorial and text warnings on tobacco packaging in 2008. It also became the first African country to introduce plain tobacco packaging in May 2023.
According to WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, “the tobacco epidemic is a significant contributor to the growing burden of noncontagious diseases in Africa.” He urged other countries in the region to fully implement the WHO MPOWER measures to stop the health impacts of tobacco.
And to fully implement the MPOWER package, Mauritius has passed an essential law that cracks down on the tobacco industry’s interference as well as on upcoming tobacco and other nicotine products. It also bans the manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale of electronic cigarettes.
According to the WHO global report on changes in tobacco prevalence use 2000-2025, the African continent is predicted to have more than 50 million smokers by 2025 unless more is done immediately to stop the tobacco pandemic. And an additional 12 million people are believed to use smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco or snuff.