THE PROBLEM: TOBACCO DATA ARE NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE

At least 3.2 million (3.4%) Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 49 used tobacco in 2018. Fewer than 200,000 tobacco users are women. Although cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use in Nigeria, there are other unique forms of tobacco, such as emerging tobacco products, that are under-reported.

Although tobacco control data exist, they are usually only available in disparate sources (individual agencies, research institutions, private sector companies, or civil society organizations), and some are not easily accessible, which presents a challenge for tobacco control legislation. Some of the tobacco control themes that have emerged as priorities in Nigeria include: tobacco prevalence, taxation, tobacco harm, industry interference, illicit trade, and Shisha use.

THE SOLUTION: A PORTAL TO AGGREGATE AND COLLECT NEW & EXISTING DATA

Development Gateway (DG), a non-governmental organisation that prioritises data for development, in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP) is addressing exactly this problem by creating a website that collates and curates these disparate information sources. This portal is a product of the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) through a three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It seeks to consolidate essential data and information collected through rigorous primary and secondary research. We are hopeful that this online resource will assist those involved in tobacco control in Nigeria by providing quick and easy access to relevant data.