SIERRA LEONE'S MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO COMBATING TOBACCO INDUSTRY INTERFERENCE. 

Lagos, 1st. August, 2026—The Centre for Advocacy and Sustainable Empowerment (CASE Salone) and Youth in Action for Development, Democracy and Human Rights (YADDHR-SL) held a productive courtesy meeting with the Honourable Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mr. Mohamed Rado Swaray of the Republic of Sierra Leone during the Africa Tobacco Interference Monitoring (ATIM) Training in Lagos, Nigeria.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the Honourable Minister to engage with the Africa Center for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) team and discuss the urgent need to strengthen efforts to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference across Africa.

During the discussion, Professor O. Ayo Yusuf, a leading tobacco control expert and facilitator of the ATIM Training, emphasized that the tobacco industry continues to interfere with the development and implementation of public health policies, particularly Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). He noted that the industry employs tactics such as promoting illicit trade narratives and diverting attention from data proven tobacco control measures, including higher tobacco taxation, plain packaging, comprehensive advertising bans, and stronger regulatory frameworks and its devastating health burden.

Responding to these concerns, the Honourable Minister reaffirmed the Government of Sierra Leone's commitment to advancing tobacco control. He noted that the country had enacted the Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act, 2022, and acknowledged that while enforcement challenges remain, Sierra Leone continues to make steady progress toward the implementation and enforcement of the law.

The Honourable Minister also commended Mr. Ibrahim Mansaray of CASE Salone and Mr. Alhaji Yaya Swaray of YADDHR-SL for representing Sierra Leone at the continental training and for their continued commitment to promoting tobacco control and protecting public health.

As part of his remarks, the Honourable Minister pledged to work with Cabinet and other relevant government institutions to accelerate the enforcement of the Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act, 2022. He further reaffirmed Sierra Leone's readiness to collaborate with the Africa Center for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) initiative and other partners to prevent tobacco industry interference and strengthen the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment between government, civil society organizations, and regional partners to intensify collaboration in safeguarding public health policies from tobacco industry influence and ensuring a healthier future for the people of Sierra Leone.

Source: MELSS