They have been urged also to empower communities to reject tobacco products and educate the youth on the dangers of nicotine addiction.

Mr Godfred Tweneboah Kodua, Policy and Research Manager of the Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development Ghana (VAST-Ghana), a civil society organisation made the call in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, to mark this year's World No Tobacco Day.

The statement said the devastating and the adverse health impact of the tobacco industry's products, including cancers, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and premature death, were very evident.

It said, "As we stand at the crossroads of public health and industry deception, we must return to ancestral wisdom to confront a modern enemy cloaked in deception, the tobacco industry."

It noted that the industry has packaged death in colorful wrappings, disguising tobacco, nicotine, and e-products as fashionable, trendy, sophisticated, even harmless.

The statement said, "We, the gatekeepers of today, governments, civil society, academia, media, and the public, must remind everyone that whether a snake sheds its skin or not, it is still a snake."

"The truth is self-evident - tobacco harms and offers no benefit. Yet today, the industry has rewritten the narrative, leaving our young people vulnerable, fuelling addiction while raking in profits from their pain."

The statement said in many African communities, the youth were the lifeblood and the driving force of nations, the promise of tomorrow, and that a nation that failed to shield its children and young people from the grip of tobacco and nicotine addiction sowed the seeds of destruction.

It said the tobacco industry use its deceitful nature to infiltrate entertainment, sports, and glamoured smoking and vaping as symbols of modern freedom and seduced the youth through music sponsorships, influencer partnerships, and sleek advertising.

The statement said, "The tobacco industry wears a false smile, pretending to care for public health by introducing so- called 'reduced harm products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices.

“They claim these products are safer alternatives, yet in truth, they serve as the gateway to lifelong addiction." It stated, adding, "If we let these industries continue their deception, our youth will be consumed by addiction before they even realise the danger."

It added, "As we mark this year's World No Tobacco Day, let us unmask the tobacco industry, expose their deceptive ways, and stand together to protect our most valuable resource, our children and youth.
"Presenting nicotine products as symbols of freedom, prestige, and modern life, only to steal our health, our future, and our lives. It is time to expose tobacco industry 21st Century deception."