The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has admonished the youth not to be swayed by flavoured or electronic cigarettes because they still have the propensity to cause cancer and deaths.

"It is estimated that about 13.6 per cent of youth smoke shisha and about 2.2 per cent smoke e-cigarettes. Nearly 450,000 adults in Ghana smoke regularly, with men more likely to smoke than women," he said.

The minister, who was represented by the Director of Technical Coordination at the ministry, Dr Hafez Adam Taher, was speaking in Accra on Tuesday (June 2, 2026) to commemorate this year's World No Tobacco Day, which fell on Sunday, 31st May 2026. The event was held under the theme: "Unmasking the appeal: Countering nicotine and tobacco addiction."

The minister said tobacco-related diseases cost Ghana an estimated 600 million dollars each year, with about 6,000 preventable deaths. He said despite the challenges, Ghana remained a recognisable leader in tobacco control across the region.

"This progress demonstrates that policies, public health initiatives and interventions are making a lot of difference," he said.

Mr Akandoh, who is also the Member of Parliament for Juaboso constituency in the Western North Region, said Ghana was not only being confronted with a product but a carefully crafted deception by tobacco and nicotine producers to sway the youth.

He said Ghana's progress in tobacco use was attributable to sustained public education, strong legislation and collective action. He expressed worry at the way shisha has been presented as a modern, fashionable product which eventually destroys lives.

The minister applauded Ghana for achieving a decline in adult smoking from 3 per cent in 2017 to approximately 2.2 per cent currently.

Reflections

The Acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority, Gayheart Edem Mensah, said the commemoration called for a reflection on the devastating economic impact of tobacco use and smoking.

He said the celebration was an opportunity to reaffirm Ghana's collective commitment to protect and preserve present and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco.

"For us as a country, it is also a reminder of our obligations under the World Health Organisation framework convention for the control of tobacco use, as well as Ghana's Public Health Act. These protocols bring into focus our shared responsibilities to safeguard and protect public health," he said.

WHO

The representative of the World Health Organisation in Ghana, Dr Fiona Braka, called on the government of Ghana, partners and communities to take decisive action to combat the menace.

She said the continent had made significant progress through initiating tobacco smoking policies, including health warnings aimed at reducing the impact.

Dr Braka commended the Ministry of Health, the Parliament of Ghana and civil society organisations for contributing to the progress made.