Executive Summary

While tobacco control had a very hopeful few years in the early 1980s when relatively comprehensive legislation (at least for the time and place) was introduced, advocates have struggled in recent years to make progress. In part due to an economically strong industry lobby and media support of the industry, most of the measures were rolled back in subsequent legislation (mainly in 1985). Consequently, there is very little in the way of current tobacco control measures in Senegal. Not surprisingly, perhaps, prevalence rates are high (though reportedly poorly and unsystematically measured), with adult smoking rates over 30 percent and perhaps greater than 40 percent. Youth rates appear to be lower at around 15 percent.

As of early 2011, a team of proponents of tobacco control is pursuing new comprehensive legislation within a Ministry of Health working group, though it is not entirely clear how much political will exists for a new law. Currently, tobacco control advocates have been focusing their efforts on an attempt to promote smoke-free policies in the infl uential religious center, the city of Touba. There is hope that this effort will lend moral authority to the tobacco control movement and put pressure on the national government to put tobacco control squarely back on the agenda.