On 13 June 2025, Namibia commemorated the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in Outjo, Kunene region. The event was commemorated under the theme “Unmasking the appeal”. This year’s WNTD campaign aims to reveal the strategies employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products enticing, particularly to young people. By exposing these tactics, WHO seeks to drive awareness, advocate for stronger policies, including a ban on flavours that make tobacco and nicotine products more appealing, and protect public health.

During the event, Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Esperance Luvindao in a speech delivered on her behalf by the Honorable Johannes Antsino, Outjo Constituency Councillor, highlighted that for the country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 2030, tobacco control must be prioritized by the government and communities. “As recommended by WHO that countries should respond decisively to the tobacco epidemic through the full implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), adopting comprehensive measures to reduce tobacco use and its associated health risks. Namibia ratified the FCTC in November 2005,” she said. The framework provides for member states, to establish infrastructure, make a commitment to controlling tobacco use and promote community awareness of the dangers related to tobacco use.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), over 146 000 people die from tobacco-related causes in the African Region each year and more than 61 million people in the region use tobacco. In addition, it was reported that over 6% of adolescents aged 13 to 15 are already using tobacco products.

In a speech read by Ms. Celia Kaunatjike, Health Promotion and Social Determinant officer at WHO Namibia, expressed concerns regarding the high prevalence of tobacco products use among adolescents. “Despite decades of progress in tobacco control, the industry continues to reinvent its approach, using flavoured products, sleek packaging and targeted digital marketing to attract new users, especially among the youth,” he said. “These strategies mask the dangers of tobacco, presenting it as modern or glamorous, making it easier to start, and harder to stop,” he added. He further called on the Government, schools, families and communities to work together to ensure that the environments in which our children grow are free from tobacco exposure and influence. “Let us recommit to creating a tobacco-free future where every young person in Africa, Namibia in particular can grow up safe, healthy and empowered,” he urged.

In 2022, about 11.2% of Namibians aged 15 and over were smokers of which 19.2% were men and 4.0% were women. Among Namibian youth aged 13–15, 31.1% reported using tobacco products, of which 31.9% are boys and 29.9% are girls. Tobacco use accounts for approximately 4.1% of all deaths in Namibia, equating to over 1,000 smoking-related deaths each year.

For the first time, Namibia will participate in the Africa Tobacco Control Programme, through which WHO will provide support to strengthen legislation, enforcement, awareness, and cessation over a five-year period.