The coalitions for tobacco control have been called to intensify their efforts in pushing forward for the passage of a Legislative Instrument (LI) on the Tobacco Control Law in Ghana.

“Do not let your toil in the fight for the passage of the law be in vain or to allow it to remain on the shelf to gather dust, but come together and advocate strongly for the passage of the legislative regulations.”

Mr Joshua Kyallo, Director of Africa Programmes of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) based in Washington, said this at the end of a five-day training workshop for 40 members of coalitions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in tobacco control drawn from all over the country at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region.

The workshop was to afford participants advocacy skills and to draw a three-year roadmap for the passage of LI on the Tobacco Control Law of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851) which was passed by Parliament on July 11, 2012. It was organized by Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), a Ghana based NGO in partnership with Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).

Mr Kyallo said the tobacco industry was not receding in their efforts and therefore the tobacco control organisations could not afford to slumber, but should always be on the alert to save people from the harmful effects of their products. He said the work for the development and passage of the LI had just began and that his organization and staff are very committed to the advancement of tobacco control in Ghana and the world at large.

He urged the coalition members to maintain the vibrant spirit and stay on course by using the knowledge and experiences acquired to move forward in their advocacy until they have achieved their goal. The Director congratulated the participants and commended them for staying for the duration of the training workshop.

Mr Issa Ali, Director of VALD, extended gratitude to CTFK and its staff for the knowledge and experiences imparted to the coalition members and expressed the hope that they would use it to ensure the passing of the LI.