In the streets of Accra and across the corridors of Ghana's regulatory institutions, a quiet contest is unfolding between the slow creep of tobacco culture and the deliberate effort to keep it from taking root. Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority, recognizing that habits form in social spaces long before they become statistics, has taken its message directly to drivers, commuters, and the hospitality industry that increasingly hosts shisha lounges. With tobacco use still affecting only a small fraction of the population, the country finds itself at a rare threshold — a moment where prevention rem
Ghana's FDA launches street campaign against tobacco and shisha use
Peer pressure and social influence continue to drive tobacco use
Mark
Why is the FDA doing street campaigns now? Has something changed recently?
Mimi
Shisha has become much more visible in entertainment venues—pubs, clubs, event centers. It's no longer rare or hidden. The products are easier to find, which makes them easier to try, especially for young people in social settings.
Luke
But the source says tobacco prevalence is only four percent. That's quite low. How do we know shisha use is actually rising, or is this more of a preventive concern?
Mimi
That's fair. The source describes it as a "growing concern" and notes that shisha joints have made products "more accessible and popular," but you're right—we don't have a specific number showing how many people are actually using shisha now versus before.
Mark
So the FDA is trying to get ahead of a trend they see emerging, not responding to a crisis.
Mimi
Exactly. They're watching the supply increase, seeing shisha lounges open, and deciding to act before it becomes entrenched the way it has in other countries.
Luke
What about the unauthorized imports? Is that a major problem or a secondary concern?
Mimi
Dr. Kusi called it out specifically—many shisha products come through unapproved routes, which means they bypass inspection and the FDA loses visibility. He's treating it as serious enough to warrant collaboration with border agencies.
Mark
And the hospitality sector—are they cooperating, or is there resistance?
Mimi
The source describes it as ongoing engagement and stakeholder conversations. It's not clear yet whether operators are receptive or pushing back.
Luke
Right. We know the FDA is talking to them, but we don't know what those conversations are producing. That's still an open question.
Mark
What happens if the border enforcement works but the cultural appetite for shisha keeps growing?
Mimi
Then you've slowed the supply but not changed the demand. That's why the awareness campaigns and the education piece matter—they're trying to shape how people think about these products before they become normalized.
Il Polso
- Shisha lounges have quietly multiplied across Ghana's bars and clubs, transforming what was once a niche habit into a socially normalized fixture of entertainment life.
- Health officials warn that a 4% tobacco prevalence rate offers no comfort if youth exposure through peer-driven social settings goes unaddressed.
- FDA staff took the campaign into the physical flow of daily life — lorry stations, street corners, commuter routes — because awareness must meet people where habits are actually formed.
- Unauthorized shisha products slipping through unapproved border channels are undermining every regulatory measure the FDA attempts to enforce.
- The Authority is pressing hospitality operators, the Ghana Tourism Authority, and the Gaming Commission to recognize their own role as gatekeepers of public health.
- Border agencies are being drawn into a coordinated enforcement effort, as officials race to close the supply channels before demand becomes entrenched.
In the streets of Accra and across the corridors of Ghana's regulatory institutions, a quiet contest is unfolding between the slow creep of tobacco culture and the deliberate effort to keep it from taking root. Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority, recognizing that habits form in social spaces long before they become statistics, has taken its message directly to drivers, commuters, and the hospitality industry that increasingly hosts shisha lounges. With tobacco use still affecting only a small fraction of the population, the country finds itself at a rare threshold — a moment where prevention remains possible, and where the choices made now may determine whether that window closes.
On a Saturday morning in Accra, staff from Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority spread through the city's busiest transit points — the 37 Lorry Station among them — to speak directly with drivers, commuters, and pedestrians about the health consequences of tobacco and shisha. The campaign was modest in scale but deliberate in timing, arriving at a moment when shisha lounges have become a recognizable feature of Ghana's entertainment landscape.
While tobacco use affects roughly four percent of Ghanaians, officials are less concerned with the present number than with its trajectory. Shisha's growing presence in pubs, clubs, and event spaces has made it newly accessible, especially to younger people navigating social environments where peer influence shapes behavior. Dr. Martin Kusi, who leads the FDA's tobacco and substances division, described the street campaign as one layer of a broader strategy — because awareness alone cannot compete with the social forces that draw people toward these products.
The FDA is simultaneously working with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Gaming Commission to engage hospitality operators, encouraging them to understand what they enable when shisha is permitted on their premises. Voluntary compliance and a shift in how the industry perceives its public health responsibilities are the goals of these ongoing conversations.
A more stubborn challenge lies at the borders. Many shisha products enter Ghana through unauthorized channels, bypassing the inspections and documentation that give regulators any meaningful oversight. The FDA is deepening its collaboration with Customs, Immigration, and border security agencies to tighten surveillance at ports of entry and reduce this underground supply.
Dr. Kusi was careful to note that Ghana has not banned tobacco outright — the strategy is one of reduction, not prohibition. The street campaigns, stakeholder engagement, and border enforcement together form a single effort aimed at preventing the deep social embedding of tobacco culture that has proven so difficult to reverse elsewhere. Ghana still holds a window of opportunity. Keeping it open will require sustained pressure across every front simultaneously.
On a recent Saturday morning in Accra, staff members from Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority fanned out across the city's busiest streets with a simple mission: to tell people what tobacco and shisha are doing to their bodies. The campaign began at the FDA's headquarters and moved through the 37 Lorry Station, where drivers, commuters, and pedestrians stopped to listen as officials explained the health consequences of products that have become increasingly visible in the country's bars, clubs, and event spaces.
The push comes at a moment when shisha—a water pipe traditionally used for tobacco—has shifted from a niche product to something readily available in entertainment venues across Ghana. The proliferation of dedicated shisha lounges and their integration into hospitality spaces has made these products far more accessible than they were even a few years ago. While tobacco use in Ghana remains relatively uncommon, affecting roughly four percent of the population, health officials worry that this low baseline could change quickly if the trend toward shisha consumption continues unchecked, particularly among younger people who may be drawn to it through social settings and peer influence.
Dr. Martin Kusi, who directs the FDA's tobacco and substances division, framed the street campaign as part of a larger strategy that recognizes how people actually adopt these habits. Peer pressure, social isolation, and the simple fact of being around others who use tobacco all play roles in driving uptake. The health risks themselves are well documented: tobacco use is linked to cancer and a range of non-communicable diseases that burden both individuals and the health system. But knowing the risks and avoiding the products are two different things, which is why the FDA is not relying on awareness alone.
The Authority is simultaneously engaging with the hospitality and entertainment sectors—working with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Gaming Commission to help business operators understand what they are enabling when they permit shisha use on their premises. The goal is to encourage voluntary compliance with existing regulations and to shift the industry's understanding of its own responsibility in public health. These conversations are ongoing, with officials explaining to stakeholders what the consequences of tobacco and shisha use actually are.
A more immediate problem is the flow of unauthorized products into the country. Many shisha products and treatments arrive through unapproved channels, circumventing the regulatory oversight that the FDA is trying to maintain. This underground supply undermines every other control measure—if products are entering the country without inspection or documentation, the Authority cannot track them, cannot ensure they meet any safety standard, and cannot effectively limit their availability. To address this, the FDA is strengthening its collaboration with Customs, Immigration, and other border and security agencies to increase surveillance and enforcement at Ghana's ports of entry. The goal is to reduce the influx of these products to a minimum.
Dr. Kusi was clear that Ghana has not banned tobacco products outright. The regulatory approach is narrower: reduce accessibility, discourage use, and protect the public from harm. The street campaigns, the stakeholder engagement, the border enforcement—these are all pieces of a single strategy aimed at preventing what has happened in other countries, where tobacco and nicotine products became deeply embedded in social life and proved extraordinarily difficult to dislodge. Ghana still has a window to shape how these products are perceived and used. Whether that window stays open depends on sustained effort across multiple fronts.
Citazioni salienti
Most shisha treatments and products come through unapproved routes. We are trying to liaise with other state agencies to make sure we bring the influx of these products to the bare minimum.— Dr. Martin Kusi, Director of Tobacco and Substances of Abuse at the FDA
Tobacco products are not banned in Ghana, but the FDA will continue to implement measures to reduce their accessibility and protect the public from associated health risks.— Dr. Martin Kusi
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Politics & Governance