ATCA Tobacco Industry Monitoring Capacity Building Workshop-Mauritania

The African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) partnered with AMALUTS to organize a Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Response coaching meeting in Mauritania. The meeting took place on the 11th and 12th of February 2020. ATCA is working with Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) BETA team to provide capacity building to tobacco control advocates in 12 countries across the African continent.

The workshop was attended by the Mauritania in-country Tobacco Industry Monitoring (TIM) team , mentees trained under the SMU- ATIM BETA project, as well as other government officials and former members of parliament. The main objectives of the workshop were;

• To induct the in-country TIM team on tobacco industry tactics and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 5.3, discuss the tobacco burden in Africa and Mauritania, the policy progress and implementation related to article 5.3 in Africa and around the world;
• To discuss main progress and challenges (mainly T.I interference) noticed so far in Mauritania since adoption of the Tobacco Control law in 2018
• To induct mentees on ATCA and SMU TIM tools

One of the key issues discussed at the workshop was the Tobacco Industry’s interference through Corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects. The team will conduct a follow up on these activities particularly the allegations around Philip Morris International’s alleged funding of a popular foundation which provides free health care to the people of Mauritania and is known to fund politicians.