The Gambia spends an estimated 14.4 billion dalasis (US$246 million) each year on cigarettes and other tobacco products, underscoring the economic and public health burden of smoking in the West African nation, officials said.
Omar Conteh, Head of the Tobacco Industry Monitoring Team and Programme Coordinator at RAID–The Gambia, said the country does not manufacture tobacco products domestically but serves primarily as a consumption market, hosting companies that import and distribute cigarettes, shisha, and other nicotine products.
“About 400,800 smokers consume nearly four million cigarettes daily, resulting in an annual economic cost of 14.4 billion dalasis,” Conteh told reporters.
Prevalence and Patterns
National tobacco use prevalence stands at 16.7 percent, with men aged 25–44 recording the highest rates at 31 percent. Shisha use among school children aged 12–20 is estimated at 8.4 percent, raising concerns about early initiation into nicotine addiction.
Exposure to second-hand smoke is widespread: 66 percent of adults report encountering tobacco smoke in public places, while 61.8 percent of children aged 13–15 experience exposure in enclosed public spaces, according to Conteh.
Economic and Social Impacts
Beyond the direct costs of purchasing tobacco, experts warn that smoking contributes to long-term health expenditures, reduced workforce productivity, and broader social and economic harms, including poverty. Conteh noted that tobacco-related diseases place a heavy burden on the healthcare system, while addiction sustains ongoing demand for imported products.
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Despite the Gambia’s commitments under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), Conteh warned that the tobacco industry continues to influence public policy through lobbying, misleading economic claims, and corporate social responsibility programmes.
“There is an irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the tobacco industry and public health policy,” he said, adding that nicotine products remain highly addictive and directly contribute to disease, premature death, and social harm.
New Challenges: Vapes and Electronic Cigarettes
The official also cautioned against the rising popularity of so-called harm reduction products such as electronic cigarettes, vapes, and shisha. He said these products primarily sustain nicotine addiction and attract new users, particularly young people, posing a serious threat to public health.
“The aggressive promotion of these products is misleading, especially to youth. It perpetuates addiction rather than reducing harm and undermines national efforts to curb tobacco use,” Conteh said.
Call for Stronger Controls
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Public health advocates are urging the government to implement stricter regulations on imports, marketing, and consumption of all tobacco and nicotine products. Measures could include higher taxes, plain packaging, stronger age verification, and comprehensive public education campaigns on the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke.
With nearly a fifth of the adult population using tobacco and growing exposure among children and adolescents, experts say urgent action is needed to protect public health and reduce the economic burden associated with tobacco use.
Conteh emphasised that curbing tobacco consumption is not only a health priority but also an economic imperative, given the billions of dalasis spent annually on imported products that provide no long-term benefit to society.
The Gambia’s experience mirrors broader trends across sub-Saharan Africa, where tobacco use remains high among men and youth, and the industry continues to exploit regulatory gaps to expand its market.
Strengthening enforcement of the WHO FCTC and limiting industry influence are seen as key steps toward reducing the prevalence of tobacco use and mitigating its social, economic, and health impacts across the country.
