Maputo 31 May 2013 - The sun is setting over the city of Maputo. Shops are closing and the roads that were bustling just an hour earlier are now quiet and almost empty. Though most people are on their way home, security guard Lucas Jaime has most of his working day ahead of him. Next to him on a small table in front of the tall building where he works are a pack of cigarettes and a set of matches.

I have been smoking for four years, says Lucas. I started when I was 24. No one in my family smokes. I am the only one.
Cigarette consumption among 15-64 year-olds in Mozambique, 2011. Source: DHS 2011

                  Urban   Rural
Men            13.8%    22%
Women        1.3%    1.4%

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally. Each year, smoking kills nearly six million people – more than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

Cigarettes are cheap and easy to find in Maputo’s streets. Vendors peddle them almost everywhere and at any time of day or night.
Here in Mozambique, smoking is a problem of poverty. I work at night and I have to stay awake. It’s not that I like to be smoking, says Lucas.

Today is World No Tobacco Day. Every year, ministries of health around the world, WHO and other partners mark the day by advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. World No Tobacco Day also aims at highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use, including cancer, lung diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.

The theme for World No Tobacco Day for this year is “Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”. The campaign encourages signatory countries of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)  to implement Article 13 of the FCTC and the guidelines for its implementation.

Article 13 urges countries to undertake a comprehensive ban of all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship within 5 years of entry into force.

Mozambique signed the WHO FCTC on 18 June 2003. However, the FCTC is still to be ratified.

Banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco demand, WHO Representative, Dr Daniel Kertesz says. Tools and guidelines already exist for implementation of effective tobacco control measures. Ratifying the WHO Framework in Mozambique should therefore be prioritised.
Currently, Mozambique has bans on direct advertising on national TV and radio, local magazines and newspapers, billboards and outdoor advertising. Yet, the ban does not extend to ads on international TV, radio, internet, magazines, and newspapers, or to point-of-sale advertising.

I smoke around 20 cigarettes a day, Lucas explains. I would very much like to quit, and I am trying to. Sometimes I make sure not to have cigarettes with me when I am working.
A free-of-charge hotline for those hoping to quit would be an evident place for Lucas to find support, but none is currently available in Mozambique. Although support is available in some hospitals, health clinics and primary care facilities do not offer smoking cessation support.

I hope to quit smoking soon, Lucas adds. My friends don’t smoke. It is not considered something cool.
Mozambique has established national strategies and programmes on tobacco control; however, there is currently no national agency or budget for tobacco control.