Kwilanzi News Zambia

02/05/2026

ACBF consolidates Zambia's To***co Control Consortiums

By Staff Writer

Key stakeholders in Zambia’s to***co control space have agreed to establish a unified national coordination platform to strengthen collaboration, enhance advocacy, and counter to***co industry interference.
The resolution was reached during a high-level multi-stakeholder meeting held on Saturday, 25th April 2026 at Lusaka's ntercontinental Hotel, which brought together government representatives, civil society organizations, researchers, and development partners.
The meeting organized by CTPD with support from the The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), was convened to address fragmentation in to***co control efforts and emphasized the urgent need for a coordinated national approach.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the ATCA - African To***co Control Alliance and Africa Centre for To***co Industry Monitoring and Policy Research.
Speaking during the opening session, (ACBF), Programs Officer Ms. Patience Yakobe urged stakeholders to move beyond dialogue and establish practical coordination mechanisms to ensure sustainable impact.
Calls for unity were echoed by the To***co Control Consortium of Zambia Chairperson, Mr. Albert Phiri, who emphasized the importance of collective action under the message "moving together."

02/05/2026

What is Article 5.3 and why is it important?
Understanding the convention articles

Article 5.3 is the section of the Framework Convention for To***co Control which provides guidance on how to handle interference from the to***co industry. There are four principles:

* There is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the to***co industry’s interests and public health policy interests.

* Parties, when dealing with the to***co industry or those working to further its interests, should be accountable and transparent.

* Parties should require the to***co industry and those working to further its interests to operate and act in a manner that is accountable and transparent.

* Because their products are lethal, the to***co industry should not be granted incentives to establish or run their businesses.

Under these guidelines, there are eight recommendations. These include:

* Raise awareness about to***co industry interference among all those working in all branches of government and among the public.

* Avoid any interaction with the to***co industry except where necessary to enable them to effectively regulate to***co products and the to***co industry. Where interactions do take place, they must be conducted transparently.

* Reject partnerships, non-binding or non-enforceable agreements with the industry, including voluntary codes of conduct, industry-sponsored to***co control initiatives or industry offers to assist with the development of to***co control legislation or policy.

* Develop clear policies on avoidance of conflicts of interest for government officials, employees, consultants and contractors. A wide range of specific steps are recommended within the guidelines.

* Require disclosure of information by the to***co industry to promote transparency. This must include to***co production, manufacture, sales and content, as well as industry lobbying, philanthropy, political donations.

* Denormalise and regulate activities described by the industry as “socially responsible” and expose the real intent – such as making the industry seem benevolent towards the population – behind these activities. ‚

* Do not give any benefits, tax exemptions or other incentives to the to***co industry.

* Treat any state-owned to***co industry no differently from privately-owned to***co companies.

https://www.atim.co.za/latest-african-to***co-industry-intereference-news/

25/04/2026

https://www.atim.co.za/2026/01/14/africa-centre-for-to***co-industry-monitoring-and-policy-research-atim-3/

Africa Centre for To***co Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM)
In: Development, Global news, Latest news, To***co Control

BETA Course Call for Applications 2026

The Africa Centre for To***co Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) at the University of Pretoria is proud to announce an online capacity-building training course on to***co industry monitoring and countering as part of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) funded project on ‘Building Capacity in Industry Monitoring for Effective To***co Control Advocates in Africa (BETA 4.0)’. This Phase of the project aims to support African to***co control stakeholders target countries (Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe, Zambia), specifically through offering a training course on to***co industry monitoring and strategies for countering To***co Industry Interference (TII) with to***co control policies. Please note: The ATIM online course is open to all the African countries.

Background

Mainstreaming to***co industry monitoring and countering strategies remains an important part of effective to***co control policy advocacy. The Building Capacity in Industry Monitoring for Effective To***co Control Advocates in Africa (BETA 4.0) – To***co Industry Monitoring and Response (TIMR) Course is an online course developed by the Africa Centre for To***co Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) in collaboration with world-renowned to***co control experts and support from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). The course aims to build the capacity of African to***co control stakeholders in to***co industry monitoring. The course will take you through the theoretical and practical approaches to to***co industry monitoring and countering industry interference.

Understanding the developments with regards the WHO FCTC and implementation guidelines and the evidence-base, specifically highlighting regional and in-country developments in implementation in Africa.
Mechanisms to monitor to***co industry interference activities, including methods such as documents research and identifying new tactics and modes of to***co industry interference.
How to use various techniques to develop and implement an effective advocacy strategy, including sharing of best practices to counter industry interference.

The course is targeted at anyone interested in to***co industry monitoring and response including but not limited to; to***co control advocates, journalists, researchers, academics and government officials or policy makers. We would like to invite you to register for the online course, available in both English and French. The BETA online course is self-paced and is open from 14 January to 25 February 2026.

Training Outcomes

The course is comprised of 12 modules which are self-paced.By the end of this training participants will be able to:

Counter and respond to To***co Industry Interference and tactics
Search Industry documents
Identify to***co industry, their front groups/allies and to monitor them
Draft effective and efficient advocacy strategies, including countering industry interference for your organization or country.

Expectations

Note: Participation in the course forms part of a comprehensive capacity building process

Participants need to have access to a computer and reliable internet.
Participants need to dedicate at least 2-3 hours per week to go through the course modules
Complete all 12 Modules within the duration of the period (14 January to 25 Februray 2026) to increase chances being considered for the face-to-face BETA training workshop.
Participants will be given access to the BETA information-sharing platform upon completion of the course.
Participants will be linked with the Africa To***co Control Alliance (ATCA) to join other country To***co Industry Monitoring teams to advance to***co industry monitoring and response initiatives.
Participants will receive a certificate of completion after completing all 12 modules. Participants who complete the 12 Modules may be invited to apply for the follow-up Face-to-Face training.

To register for the BETA online course, click on the link below.

Apply here: English| French

BETA Course Call for Applications 2026 The Africa Centre for To***co Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) at the University of Pretoria is proud to announce an online capacity-building training course on to***co industry monitoring and ...

25/04/2026

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25/04/2026

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25/04/2026

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07/04/2026

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