AFRICA RISES AS ONE AGAINST TOBACCO

BY ANNIE ZULU

THE first three-day Africa Conference on Tobacco Control and Development jointly organised by the Center for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) and The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)  concluded yesterday with a strong call to action to address the debilitating impact of tobacco use on the health of Africans and the continent’s economies.

Nearly 600 stakeholders from across the continent registered for the gathering, which saw 35 speakers, 15 conference sessions and 42 research presentations. 

The presenters and delegates urged African countries and partners to increase investment in local research to support tobacco control initiatives and enhance advocacy and partnerships with dynamic evidence-based research.

 

The conference leadership noted that tobacco control implementation requires flexibility to align to government priorities and the changing governance dynamics. 

The paucity of data on the continent has adversely impacted promulgation of effective policies on tobacco control in many African countries.

 

The official conference communique encouragesd African countries to introduce policies that will disincentivise tobacco use. Increased taxation on tobacco products is proven to encourage quitting by making cigarettes unaffordable. 

Yet, Africa lags behind in the introduction and enforcement of tobacco tax policies, partly due to tobacco industry interference.

The delegates were alarmed that emerging smokeless tobacco products are creating new challenges for tobacco control, complicated by increasing usage of tobacco within Africa’s large youth population.

“There is need for robust laws to respond to these challenges – especially by being vigilant towards these novel products and adopting strategies to counter the ever-changing industry tactics.

“Local research will result in irrefutable messaging against the tobacco industry and promote understanding of local setting and local political setting,” said conference chairperson Professor William Bazeyo, who is the director of the CTCA.

In his closing remarks, Dr William Maina, Senior Project Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO) AFRO, called the conference a historic event that built synergy among many of the leaders in tobacco control research, programme design, policy implementation, community engagement and monitoring of both the performance against tobacco control targets and the industry’s antics.

“This conference is a stepping stone. We conclude the conference on a clearer trajectory, having identified what we know and what we need to know to tackle the tobacco epidemic,” said Dr Maina.

The conference was supported by various partners including WHO AFRO, the Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP), Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK), African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM), The International Union against Tuberculosis and lung Disease and the Tax Justice Network-Africa (TJN-A).

 

 

                                                                                                    

 

 

SMOKING AMONG GIRLS IN AFRICA ESCALATES

By ANNIE ZULU

TOBACCO use among girls in Africa has increased, African Capacity Building Foundation (ACDF) Executive Secretary Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie has disclosed.

Prof. Nnadozie said there was no longer difference in smoking rates between girls and boys on the continent.

He noted that previously, the prevelance of tobacco use among girls was lower than the rate of boys.

He attributed this to the increase of purchasing power and aggressive tobacco industry marketing in Africa among others.

Prof. Nnadozie said this during the official opening ceremony of the 1st African Conference on Tobacco Control and Development (ACTCD) yesterday. 

The three-day conference which is been conducted virtually and attended by over 400 stakeholders across the continent, is aimed at disseminating recent information on tobacco.

"Recent studies have shown that the prevelance rate among girls 4.6% to 36.6 % has become as high as for the boys 7.8% to 36%," Prof. Nnadozie said.

Speaking at the same occasion, World Health Organisation (WHO) Afro Region Senior Project Officer Dr. William Maina stressed the need for urgent action towards tobacco control in Africa.

Dr. Maina said the aggressive approach which was given to COVID-19 prevention should also be applied towards tobacco control.

He also called for unity among African countries in implementing the WHO global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). 

"We need to review our strategy and change how we do things. We need to come together and work together," he said.

And Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma of the African Center for Disease Control urged tobacco control researchers, advocates and planners to focus less on the problems and more on the solutions.

Meanwhile, Conference Chairperson and Director of the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA), Professor William Bazeyo described the conference as the realisation of a dream seeded when the CTCA was established 10 years ago. 

"By charting a clear research agenda for the African tobacco control community, the CTCA had created conditions for this unifying event", Prof. Bazeyo said.

Zambia on the right track in fight against SGBV- PS

By Annie Zulu 

ZAMBIA is making strides in combating Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) through various interventions put in place, Ministry of Gender Permanent Secretary Sastone Silomba has said.

Dr Silomba said the Government had put in place an enabling legal and policy framework to combat the vice.

He also said Government through the Ministry of Gender had been coordinating programs aimed at addressing issues of SGBV with help from its partners.

He further indicated that the country had domesticated the pact on Security Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region which included the protocol on prevention and suppression of sexual violence against women and  children.

Dr Silomba said this when he officiated at the Training of Trainers (TOT) for ICGLR-RTF master and national trainers in the holistic approach to address SGBV workshop in Lusaka, Zambia.

The workshop which took place from March 23-25, 2021 and whose objective was to equip professionals dealing with SGBV cases  in Zambia with new skills on the subject, was organised by the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region-Regional Training Facility (ICGLR-RTF) in conjunction with the European Union (EU), GIZ and Panzi Foundation among other cooperating partners.

“The Government of Zambia recognises that SGBV is a national problem and is of growing concern. To this effect, our Government has put in place various interventions,” Dr Silomba said.

And the Permanent Secretary said the workshop was timely, stressing that front liners in the fight against SGBV needed the knowledge and skills to enable them to effectively prevent and support survivors.

He also reiterated  Government's commitment and support towards implementation of projects and programmes that were in line with pact in the great lakes region.

Speaking at the same event, ICGLR-RTF Acting Regional Director Victor Mugaruka said the training program started in 2020 and was being conducted in several counties in the great lakes.

Mr Mugarika said at the end of the programme, an action plan would be developed and act as a guideline for the front liners in the region as they carryout their duties.

“We have conducted trainings in Uganda, Rwanda, DRC and now Zambia. Our main objective is to see that we strengthen capacity among professionals handling SGBV cases so that they can fulfil their duties smoothly,” He said.

Meanwhile, ICGLR-RTF National Coordinator Hassan Banda said his office would continue to work with various stakeholders in the country in fighting SGBV.

WLSA applauds media´s role in fighting SGBV

 

By Annie Zulu

THE Women in Law Southern Africa (WLSA) Zambia has commended the Zambian media for its efforts in the fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).

WLSA Zambia National Director Maureen Tresha said  the media had done well in the last few years in exposing and creating awareness against SGBV in the country.

Ms Tresha also observed that there had been a lot of improvement  in the manner that SGBV stories were been presented by the media, especially regarding victims.

Ms Tresha said this during a media training in framing stories on SGBV hosted by WLSA in partnership with equality Now at Lusaka´s Asmara Hotel on Tuesday.

Freelance Journalist Annie Zulu receiving an award for reporting on SGBV

“The role of the media is crucial to the issue of SGBV, both in terms of how the media cover the issue, and how the media may be used as a tool to help activists, organisations and government raise awareness and implement programs on this issues. As WLSA we are very impressed with Journalists understanding of SGBV, their work has been so amazing,”  Ms Tresha said.

She further reiterated that her organisation would continue engaging the media in its programs as a key partner in the fight against SGBV.

Meanwhile, WLSA has awarded some Zambian Journalists for their been consistency in reporting on SGBV.

Among the notable recipients of the awards are Freelance Journalist Annie Zulu, 5fm´s Christopher Chisi, ZNBC´s Constance Matongo, Times of Zambia´s Dorothy Chisi, Millennium Radio´s Juliet Makwama and Zambia Daily Mail´s Nomsa Nkana.

WLSA is a regional organisation with offices in seven countries in Southern Africa, whose aim is to respond to the social-legal needs of women in the region and to develop women´s rights methodologies.

#Of 16Days of Activism Against GBV....

Teach your underage daughter that an older man showing love interest in her does not mean well for her. Let her understand that such a man is a prey who wants to take advantage of her.

Let her understand that an older man has no business declaring love to a minor or asking her for sex.

Parents, make out time to have real talks with your girls-as often as possible. Teach them age-appropriate sex education or strangers will teach them the wrong way.

Help them understand the physical and hormonal changes their body is going through. Teach them to recognize when they are being preyed on.

Teach them to speak up and stand up for themselves. Make them comfortable with you enough to confide in you. Talk to them about the consequences of sex, especially unprotected sex.

They have to be taught that sex with boys in their age bracket is still going to leave them at a disadvantage when shit hits the fan.

Be careful who you allow around your young impressionable girls.

Most girls were defiled, raped, or lured into sex by people they know, see often or even trust. People, you the parent know and

greet.

The men who prey on your baby girls and teen daughters are usually not strangers.

They live in your neighbourhood, they attend the same place of worship with you, they work for you, you buy things from them, they are your friends or relatives, you see them around and talk to them, you even house some of them under the same roof with your daughters. They are right there, under your nose

Teach your underage daughter that an older man showing love interest in her does not mean well for her. Let her understand that such a man is a prey who wants to take advantage of her.

Let her understand that an older man has no business declaring love to a minor or asking her for sex.

Parents, make out time to have real talks with your girls-as often as possible. Teach them age-appropriate sex education or strangers will teach them the wrong way.

Help them understand the physical and hormonal changes their body is going through. Teach them to recognize when they are being preyed on.

Teach them to speak up and stand up for themselves. Make them comfortable with you enough to confide in you. Talk to them about the consequences of sex, especially unprotected sex.

They have to be taught that sex with boys in their age bracket is still going to leave them at a disadvantage when shit hits the fan.

Be careful who you allow around your young impressionable girls.

Most girls were defiled, raped, or lured into sex by people they know, see often or even trust. People, you the parent know and

greet.

The men who prey on your baby girls and teen daughters are usually not strangers.

They live in your neighbourhood, they attend the same place of worship with you, they work for you, you buy things from them, they are your friends or relatives, you see them around and talk to them, you even house some of them under the same roof with your daughters. They are right there, under your nose.

CHISHALA KATEKA, Zambia´s potential first female President.

 INSPIRATION......

Former ABSA Bank Zambia Chairperson Chishala Kateka recently announced her Presidential Candidature for the 2021 polls, and has launched her party, the New Heritage Party.

She is so far the only woman who has declared her participation in the Presidential race. I have sadly observed the hateful comments like "She'll just splint votes" "Aba nabo" "She should just concentrate on home economics" "She is just wasting her time" " Oh she is just wasting resources" blablablabla.

So a woman in Zambia can not compete at Presidential level? Is the Presidential position a privilege for male candidates only?

Ms Kateka is Zambian citizen, who is fully qualified and has the right to stand as President and compete with her male counterparts.

Lets normalise participation of women at Presidential level please!!!!!

Go mama Go!!!!

Freelance Journalist Annie Zulu wins SADC Award

 By ZAMBIAN FEMININE REPORTER

FREELANCE Journalist Annie Zulu has bagged her second International Gender Award at the 30th November  – 2nd December  2020 SADC Protocal at Work Summits and Awards.

 The event held under the theme “Voice and Choice: Local Action for a Strong 2030 A-gender in Southern Africa” was hosted by Gender Links (GL) and the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance alongside other partners at Lusaka’s Cresta  Golfview Hotel.

Ms Zulu (in yellow) after receiving the award with Gender Activist and Former NGOCC Chairperson Sara Longwe.

 The summits serve as a springboard to call on Governments to account for gender equality commitments made in the SADC Gender Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals.

 Ms. Zulu together with Zambia Daily Mail’s Margret Chisanga were awarded runner-up to 5FM journalist Christopher Chisi, who grabbed the first position out of four other competitors.

 In October 2020, Ms. Zulu was among few African and Arabic Journalists who were awarded the Social Impact Reporting Initiative (SIRI) awards.

 After receiving the award, Ms. Zulu expressed delight following the regional recognition for her exploits as a determined Zambian journalist.

 “It is a great honour to receive this award. The award has boosted my passion to report more on issues of gender, which mostly affects women and girls. I feel I have a responsibility as an experienced SADC Journalist to create a platform for women and girls’ voices to be heard,” She said.

Ms Zulu, alongside the two other Journalists will be among the Zambian delegation that would represent the country at the upcoming regional summit to be held in South Africa.

 And officially opening the summit, Gender Minister Elizabeth Phiri assured protection from violence to Zambian women who wish to stand in next year’s elections.

“As I have repeatedly said in the last few weeks, I challenge every woman out there and those gathered here to think about standing as members of parliament and councillors,” Mrs Phiri said.

 Gender Links country coordinator Albert Ngosa reaffirmed that his organisation would continue to provide a platform for different stakeholders to share best practices in gender mainstreaming.