Togo: New five-year roadmap to combat illicit tobacco trade (2026–2030)
Togo has adopted a new five-year roadmap (2026–2030) to step up the fight against illicit trade in tobacco products. Validated on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Tsévié, the strategic document brings together key stakeholders following an evaluation mission led by the Secretariat of the World Health Organization Framework Convention. It aims to strengthen the legal and institutional framework.
The action plan focuses on improving control and surveillance mechanisms at borders, with a central emphasis on tobacco traceability essential for dismantling trafficking networks.
Experts from security, health, justice, customs, and civil society stress the need for coordinated action to optimize judicial proceedings against offenders.
“Illicit tobacco trade represents a major challenge,” warns Balaka Abago, coordinator of the National Program for Addiction to Psychoactive Substances (PNAPP).
The scourge facilitates easy access to tobacco, particularly among young people, while causing significant tax revenue losses for the state.
The new strategy seeks to reverse this trend through enhanced coordination and modern tracking tools.
The roadmap comes amid encouraging trends: tobacco prevalence in Togo has declined from 8.5% in 2010 to 5% in 2021.
However, disparities persist. Consumption remains higher among men, and an alarming increase is affecting young people, especially in urban and school settings. These vulnerabilities justify stepped-up mobilization.
The validation in Tsévié marks a turning point. Stakeholders are committed to effective implementation, with uncompromising border controls and deterrent judicial sanctions.
This roadmap aligns with WHO international standards while taking Togolese realities into account.
It promises not only to protect youth but also to safeguard public revenue vital for national development.
Togo thus demonstrates its determination to eradicate this parallel trade, a source of health and financial risks. With this ambitious strategy, the country lays the foundations for a healthier society capable of asserting its sovereignty against transnational trafficking.
Kodjovi Makafui
