Tobacco industry presence and practices in Mozambique: a ‘chaotic’ but worthy market

Abstract

BackgroundMozambique has experienced a series of tobacco industry consolidation both in tobacco leaf buying and processing, and in cigarette manufacturing and marketing. The growth of the tobacco industry presence in Mozambique was followed by an increase in tobacco industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. This is the first paper to describe the history of tobacco industry activities in Mozambique, a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).MethodsWe reviewed industry documents and associated web-based information. Industry documents (1990–2021) were identified through University of California San Francisco’s Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Library. We followed with a search of web-based sources pertaining to the tobacco industry in Mozambique. We complemented our analysis with select media sources to identify statements by government officials in relation to the tobacco industry. We mapped major tobacco industry players, industry partnerships and corresponding CSR activities.ResultsTobacco production increased substantially in Mozambique in the 1990s when tobacco companies began targeting African countries. The increased attention to tobacco production, trade and sales in Mozambique was coupled with greater industry involvement in CSR activities. We identified 10 tobacco industry CSR programmes in Mozambique. Most of the CSR programmes focus on health including HIV/AIDS, social issues and environmental issues.ConclusionsSimilar to other tobacco-growing countries, the industry facilitated an increase in tobacco production and continues efforts to increase the tobacco consumption market while engaging in CSR activities focused on social and environmental issues. As in other countries, CSR initiatives in Mozambique enhance industry’s reputation. Importantly, these CSR programmes and partnerships breach national laws and the provisions of the FCTC. The continuation of these programmes suggests limited attention within government to protect public policy from industry interference in compliance with Article 5.3 of the FCTC.

Tobacco policy (in)coherence in Mozambique: an examination of national and subnational stakeholder perspectives

“…The tobacco industry seeks to perpetuate these conflicts by forging close relationships with governments to lobby against tobacco control policies ( Lown et al ., 2016 ). The industry is known to employ corporate social responsibility (CSR) tactics in various tobacco producing contexts; including providing money for medical supplies and other funds to governments and civil society in order to gain favour ( Nguenha et al ., 2022 ; Stubbs et al ., 2022 ). Lobbying and CSR tactics are known to undermine the willingness and ability of governments to strengthen tobacco control efforts ( The World Health Organization, 2012 ; Gilmore et al ., 2015 ).…”