Africa

In 2023, Ghana's tobacco industry demonstrates resilience with marginal demand increases across categories, primarily driven by continuous price hikes of tobacco products. However, this trend negatively impacts volume sales. The industry is…

In 2023, Ethiopia's tobacco industry is primarily dominated by cigarettes, with higher consumption observed in eastern regions such as Somali, Afar, and Jigjiga. However, this area is also marked by a prevalence of illicit cigarettes smuggled across…

In 2023, tobacco in Côte d’Ivoire continues to demonstrate a positive performance despite economic challenges. Surging inflation has eroded the purchasing power of lower- and middle-income consumers, leading to reduced expenditures on tobacco.…

At the end of 2022, Angola's inflation rate surged to 22%, the highest in 18 months, as reported in February 2024. In 2023, the WHO supported the production of the comic book "Lighted Dreams" to promote tobacco-free lifestyles and prevent youth…

After a year of strong growth in 2021, cigarette sales recorded a slight unit volume decline in Middle East and Africa in 2022. With disposable incomes under pressure in a lot of countries, illicit trade remains a problem in many of them. E-vaping…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

While tobacco in Nigeria showed an improved performance in current value growth terms in 2022, this was mainly due to unit price hikes resulting from tax increases and inflationary pressures fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic, the…

Cameroon was not as affected by the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine as many other countries. Rising global energy prices in 2022 gave a boost to government coffers and helped stabilise the economy. However, ongoing civil conflict, as…

Overall demand for smokeless tobacco, e-vapour and heated tobacco products declined in Nigeria in 2022. The downturn was mainly explained by rapidly rising prices and the erosion of purchasing power among consumers as inflation soared due to the…

Retail volume sales of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco declined sharply in 2022. As with cigarettes, demand was depressed by steep price hikes resulting from tax increases and a spike in inflation caused by the depreciation of the naira, the…

In a major development, authorities introduced a ban on shisha smoking in 2022, following other African countries such as Kenya, The Gambia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana. In addition, Mali also introduced a ban in 2022. According to the Ministry of…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in Nigeria declined marginally in 2022. This was mainly because steep increases in unit prices gave many smokers a greater incentive to quit or cut down, particularly as high inflation eroded purchasing power and…

Cameroon was not as affected by the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine as many other countries. Rising global energy prices in 2022 gave a boost to government coffers and helped stabilise the economy. However, ongoing civil conflict, as…

Tobacco in Uganda is dominated by British American Tobacco and local player Leaf Tobacco & Commodities, with sales limited to cigarettes. There has been a shift away from premium cigarette brands as rising prices have made cigarettes less affordable.…

The Tanzanian tobacco market witnessed further value growth in 2022. The dominant player in cigarettes, Tanzania Cigarette Co Ltd, recorded double-digit growth in gross profit. Smoking prevalence is rising, with attitudes to smoking changing and…

In 2022, the tobacco landscape in Kenya was shaped by ongoing inflation, rising price points and increasing health awareness. As such, premium cigarette brands continued to note a decline in sales, attributed to limited consumer budgets in the face…

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of cigars and cigarillos plummeted. This was mainly due to the closures of establishments, as consumers of these products are usually social smokers that enjoy smoking these products in social settings. In…

There is a high level of illegal trade/counterfeit tobacco products in Kenya, especially cigarettes. These products manage to enter the country through porous borders and continuously pose a challenge to local manufacturers while damaging the overall…

2022 was a challenging year for tobacco in Tunisia, with current and constant value sales falling, as well as volume sales. This dismal picture was largely due to a double-digit fall in the volume sales of cigarettes and this was in spite of a…