The Ministry of Health has warned that emerging nicotine products are undermining Ghana’s progress in tobacco control, with flavoured shisha and electronic cigarettes increasingly attracting young people.

It said these products are deliberately designed to mask the addictive nature of nicotine and are contributing to rising experimentation among adolescents and young adults.

The caution was issued at the launch of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day campaign in Accra yesterday. The day is observed annually on May 31.

This year’s theme: ‘Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction.’

The Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, in a speech read on his behalf, said the tobacco industry was rebranding nicotine products with sweet flavours such as strawberry, mint and bubblegum, and marketing them as fashionable lifestyle products targeted at young people.

He warned that although Ghana had recorded progress in tobacco control, those gains were now under threat.

According to him, smoking prevalence has declined from about three per cent in 2017 to around 2.2 per cent in recent years, but the emergence of new nicotine products could reverse these achievements.

He attributed the progress made so far to policy interventions, including tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion, the introduction of graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging in 2018, and increased excise duties under the 2023 tax reforms.

“These measures have strengthened Ghana’s tobacco control framework and earned international recognition,” he noted, adding that enforcement gaps and evolving industry tactics continue to pose risks.

Mr Akandoh also expressed concern over the growing perception that shisha and vaping are safer alternatives to cigarettes, despite both containing nicotine and other harmful substances linked to addiction and long-term health complications. He said the trend was becoming increasingly visible in urban areas.

He further highlighted the health and economic burden of tobacco use, noting that it contributes to thousands of preventable deaths annually and places strain on the health system through treatment costs and productivity losses.

 Many of the victims, he said, were breadwinners, thereby deepening household vulnerability.

“We must act decisively to protect our young people from targeted marketing and misleading perceptions about these products,” he stressed.

He called for stronger enforcement of tobacco control laws, intensified public education, and enhanced collaboration among government agencies, civil society, educators and communities to reduce youth exposure.

The Deputy Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mr Gayheart Edem Mensah, also warned that tobacco use continues to impose a heavy burden on the health system.

“Tobacco use contributes to thousands of preventable deaths and places significant pressure on healthcare delivery through treatment costs and productivity losses,” he said.

He called for stricter enforcement of tobacco control laws, stronger public education, and tighter regulation of marketing and product design targeting young people.

The WHO Country Representative to Ghana, Dr Fiona Braka, urged coordinated action among stakeholders to reduce youth exposure to nicotine products.

“Only a coordinated response across government, civil society, educators and communities can effectively curb youth exposure and strengthen prevention efforts,” she said.