Botswana has been urged to urgently finalise and implement regulations under the Tobacco Control Act (2021) amid growing concerns over rising tobacco and nicotine industry influence, particularly targeting young people through vaping and emerging nicotine products.
The call follows the launch of the 2025 Botswana Tobacco Industry Interference Index (TIII) Report, which highlighted both Botswana’s global leadership in tobacco control and the urgent need to operationalise existing legislation.
The high-level launch attracted a broad coalition of public health, governance, and development stakeholders, including representatives from the World Health Organization, senior government officials, civil society organisations, academia, development partners, and members of the media. International tobacco control experts in attendance included Dr. Mary Assunta, Head of Research and Advocacy at the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control and lead author of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index and Professor Lekan Ayo-Yussuf, Director of the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research. The event, hosted by the Anti-Tobacco Network, was also attended by the WHO Representative to Botswana and SADC, alongside senior officials from the Ministries of Health, Trade and Entrepreneurship, academia, and the civil society, underscoring growing consensus around the need to operationalise the Tobacco Control Act (2021) regulations.
The strong turnout of government leaders, WHO representatives, international tobacco control experts, civil society, academia, and the media reflected growing urgency around protecting Botswana’s public health agenda from commercial interference and ensuring the Tobacco Control Act (2021) becomes fully operational through regulations.
Speaking during the launch held in Gaborone, Assistant Minister of Health, Honourable Lawrence Ookeditse, said the country stands at a decisive moment in protecting public health and safeguarding national policy from commercial interference by the tobacco industry.
“Botswana already has one of the strongest legislative foundations through the Tobacco Control Act of 2021. The next and most urgent step is implementation through regulations that ensure the law works as intended,” he said, adding that government remains committed to signing the necessary regulations to accelerate enforcement.
The Tobacco Industry Interference Index assesses how governments protect public health policy from tobacco industry influence in line with Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Botswana ranked third globally out of 100 countries and best-performing in Africa among 20 assessed countries, reflecting the country’s strong legislative framework. However, experts cautioned that delayed implementation of regulations continues to expose gaps that the tobacco industry could exploit.
The report identifies the Tobacco Control Act (2021) as a landmark piece of legislation containing strong protections against tobacco industry interference. These include provisions prohibiting partnerships and endorsements involving the tobacco industry, requiring transparency in interactions between public officials and tobacco entities, limiting political contributions, and mandating disclosure of tobacco industry-linked lobbying activities. However, several of these measures remain pending until supporting regulations are enacted.
The urgency of implementation comes against a concerning backdrop of increasing youth nicotine use. According to findings referenced during the launch, 11.1% of students aged 13–17 are using electronic cigarettes, while overall tobacco use in this age group stands at 12.0%, with some children reportedly experimenting with nicotine products as young as 12 years old. Speakers warned that the aggressive marketing of vaping products as “safer alternatives” risks normalising nicotine addiction among young people.
International tobacco control experts attending the launch stressed that the tobacco industry is increasingly shifting tactics globally, intensifying lobbying around vaping, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products, and so-called “harm reduction” narratives to influence policymakers and delay stricter regulations. The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index found that no country is immune from such interference, with the industry becoming increasingly aggressive in exploiting policy loopholes and frustrating public health efforts.
Executive Director of the AntiTobacco Network and tobacco control advocate, Prof. Bontle Mbongwe, emphasised that regulations under the Tobacco Control Act are essential to close implementation gaps and provide practical mechanisms for enforcement, transparency, accountability, and institutional safeguards against industry influence.
Among key recommendations emerging from the Index are the expedited finalisation of regulations under Section 67 of the Act, establishment of a public repository of tobacco industry interactions and disclosures, introduction of conflict-of-interest rules including cooling-off periods for public officials, and mandatory annual training for government departments on identifying and rejecting tobacco industry interference.
As Botswana prepares to commemorate World No Tobacco Day on 31 May with the theme: “Unmasking the appeal: Countering nicotine and tobacco addiction, stakeholders said the country now has a unique opportunity to translate global recognition into practical action by ensuring the Tobacco Control Act moves from legislative promise to full implementation.
“Botswana has already shown leadership. What is needed now is urgency. Regulations are the missing bridge between strong legislation and meaningful public protection,” said stakeholders at the launch.