NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 31 — Africa is producing more tobacco even as global leaf production declines, while the continent’s bill for imported cigarettes has more than doubled, exposing what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls a growing health, trade and development problem.New WHO analysis shows global tobacco-leaf production fell 18.8 per cent between 2012 and 2024, but African production increased 8.6 per cent over the same period.Africa produced more than 639,000 tonnes of tobacco leaf in 2024, accounting for about 11 per cent of global output.At the same time, the continent’s cigarette import bill more than doubled from $833 million in 2012 to $1.77 billion in 2024, highlighting a growing gap between Africa’s role as a producer of raw tobacco and its dependence on imported manufactured cigarettes.“This is not just a tobacco-control issue. It is a health, trade, development and environmental issue,” said Dr Vinayak Prasad, Head of the Tobacco Free Initiative at WHO.“Tobacco farming exposes workers and families to serious health risks, damages the environment and can trap farmers in cycles of debt. At the same time, African economies are spending more on imported cigarettes that fuel addiction, disease and premature death.”WHO said tobacco production is concentrated in a handful of countries, with Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Uganda accounting for most of the continent’s output.East Africa alone accounts for nearly 90 per cent of African tobacco-leaf production.The increase in production comes despite a broader decline in tobacco use globally. The number of adult tobacco users worldwide fell from 1.379 billion in 2000 to 1.202 billion in 2024.In the WHO African Region, however, the number increased from 59 million to 65 million over the same period.WHO warned that continued tobacco cultivation also comes at an environmental and social cost, competing with food production for land and water while contributing to soil degradation, pesticide exposure, deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions from tobacco curing.Farmers face health risks including green tobacco sickness, caused by nicotine absorption through the skin while handling wet tobacco leaves, as well as exposure to pesticides and tobacco dust.The agency also raised concerns about child labour in tobacco-growing communities, saying children in some low- and middle-income countries miss school to work on tobacco farms and supplement household incomes.WHO said the economic case for continued tobacco production is also weaker than often portrayed.Tobacco-leaf exports account for more than 1 per cent of GDP in only a small number of African economies, including Malawi and Zimbabwe.For most countries, WHO said, the contribution of tobacco production and trade remains limited compared with the health, social and environmental costs associated with the industry.“Countries need support to move away from economic dependence on a product that harms health, farmers and the environment,” Prasad said.“The data show why trade and development policies must be aligned with public health and sustainable development goals.”WHO is calling for stronger international support for countries seeking to diversify away from tobacco production, protect farming communities and strengthen tobacco-control measures.The agency also urged countries to promote economically viable alternatives for tobacco growers and workers in line with Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which encourage alternatives to tobacco cultivation and protection of the environment and human health.The WHO said helping tobacco-dependent economies diversify could reduce the economic burden of tobacco use and trade while creating more sustainable livelihoods for farming communities.