Tobacco control in Zambia needs coordination, not scattered efforts.
On April 25, I delivered the Vote of Thanks at the Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on Strengthening a Unified Approach to Tobacco Control Coordination in Zambia. I represented Tobacco Free Association of Zambia (TOFAZA) Youth, a member of Global Youth Voices, alongside civil society, government institutions, African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), The Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM), and other partners working to advance tobacco control in Zambia.
The meeting came at a critical time. Zambia’s tobacco control movement has been pushing for better coordination, stronger legislation, and clearer protection for public health. The discussions showed what happens when advocates and institutions are in the same room: priorities become clearer, gaps are easier to see, and the work becomes harder to ignore.
A group photo of the participants who attended the multi-stakeholder meeting.
For young people, this is not just an advocacy process. It affects our lives.
Tobacco and nicotine products continue to threaten young people and future generations. The industry uses marketing, influence, and interference to delay stronger protections and keep its products attractive and accessible. That is why youth voices must be part of tobacco control coordination from the start, not added at the end.
As TOFAZA Youth and Global Youth Voices, we see how these tactics reach young people. We also see why governments must put public health before commercial interests. Youth advocates can help expose how tobacco and nicotine products are promoted, how industry narratives spread, and how interference weakens policy.
A unified tobacco control platform can help align strategies, share evidence, strengthen accountability, and support implementation. It can also help protect policy processes from tobacco industry interference, one of the biggest barriers to progress.
This work also connects to Zambia’s broader policy momentum. The Tobacco Control Bill No. 40 of 2025 aims to protect present and future generations from the health, social, environmental, and economic harms of tobacco use and nicotine addiction. Its progress shows what sustained advocacy and coordination can help move forward.
But passing strong laws is only one part of the work. Implementation matters. Enforcement matters. Civil society engagement matters. Youth participation matters.
I am grateful to ACBF for convening this platform, and to every partner who continues to push Zambia’s tobacco control agenda forward. The meeting was a reminder that progress depends on shared responsibility and the courage to keep public health above tobacco industry interests.
Zambia has an opportunity to show what coordinated, youth-informed tobacco control can look like. We should not waste it.
Yvette Mbewe is a public health pharmacist and a youth advocate from Zambia. She is one of the spokespersons of Global Youth Voices and represents TOFAZA Youth, a member organization of GYV. Through her public health and advocacy work, she supports stronger tobacco control, youth participation, and coordinated action to protect communities from the harms of tobacco and nicotine products.