🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
Burkina Faso improves performance in protecting public health against tobacco industry interference
via Lefaso.net9 min read
The Africa Against Tobacco association ACONTA launched its 2025 report on the tobacco industry interference index in Burkina Faso on Friday, April 24, 2026. This report, a key tool for analyzing and monitoring interactions between the tobacco industry and public authorities, highlights influence strategies used by the industry that often undermine public health. Burkina Faso achieved an honorable ranking in this edition, placing 8th globally out of 100 evaluated countries and 3rd in Africa out of 20. This is an improvement from its 2023 ranking of 11th globally and 4th in Africa, demonstrating the authorities' commitment to protecting public health and preventing tobacco industry interference in anti-tobacco policies, according to Adama Zango, ACONTA coordinator. The report's questionnaire, comprising 20 questions across seven categories, assesses how governments respond to tobacco industry tactics, guided by Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control FCTC. These indicators include industry participation in policy-making, corporate social responsibility initiatives, benefits granted to the industry, unnecessary interactions, transparency in relations, conflicts of interest, and preventive measures taken by governments. ACONTA recommends adopting a revised anti-tobacco bill in line with the FCTC, which addresses new and emerging products, and adopting a draft decree to prevent tobacco industry interference in public health policies
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An initiative developed by the NGO Care, the Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis CVCA approach, is training farmers to better understand and adapt to climate change risks. The five-day workshop focuses on equipping participants, who are trainers themselves, with tools for data collection, analysis, and interpretation, as well as participatory mechanisms to identify local vulnerabilities and design appropriate responses. Tasséré Nacanabo, an environmental and climate change consultant and session facilitator, explained that the training aims to prepare participants to become relays within their communities, ensuring they master key concepts to transmit to others. The training covers nine methodological sheets, from identifying climate risks to developing community adaptation plans. René Soalla, first vice-president of the Confédération paysanne du Faso, highlighted the importance of this training in building sustainable responses to challenges like rainfall variability, natural resource degradation, and livelihood fragility, which exacerbate vulnerabilities for agricultural producers, herders, and pastoralists. This initiative is part of the second phase of the Peaceful Cross-border Pastoral Mobility and Social Stability in the Sahel MOPSS-2 program. Saïdou Hema, project manager at CARE Burkina Faso, noted that MOPSS aims to strengthen peaceful coexistence among natural resource users in cross-border areas of several West African countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali
Must ReadAccording to the National Institute of Statistics and Demography, nearly 21% of Burkinabe experience food insecurity. This was highlighted by the Minister of Health on June 7, 2026, during International Food Safety Day. Collective intoxications, infections from pathogens like Salmonella or Escherichia coli, and chemical contaminations disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including children under five, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with chronic illnesses. Dr. Robert Kargougou, the Minister of Health, emphasized that food, while a source of life, can become a vector of suffering if poorly preserved, prepared, or contaminated. He noted that in a country where informal markets, street food, and traditional culinary practices are central, constant vigilance is crucial. The economic burden of foodborne illness includes healthcare costs, lost productivity, and household vulnerability. The Minister stressed that food safety should be a universal right, ensuring that rural populations, internally displaced persons, and vulnerable families receive the same health guarantees. He affirmed that the government rigorously controls emergency food aid, especially in areas facing security challenges. Dr. Kargougou called for the commitment of all actors in the food chain, from farmers and producers to consumers, transporters, retailers, inspectors, and cooks, to make food safety a daily reality. He outlined key actions for food safety in Burkina Faso, including strengthe
The rise of AI-generated images in advertising poses a significant threat to the modeling industry, particularly for commercial models, according to Francis G. Campbell, a corporate communication consultant and expert in image management. Campbell, who also directs Burkina Faso's first agency specializing in artistic career management and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, notes that AI allows for the creation of nearly perfect, realistic African model images, directly impacting the demand for human models. Companies favor AI visuals due to cost reduction, eliminating agency fees, model payments, makeup artists, hairstylists, and studio rentals. AI also offers rapid execution and almost total control over the final visual, allowing for quick modifications to clothing, age, or decor without additional costs. Campbell observes a noticeable decline in contracts for commercial models in institutional campaigns for banks, telecommunication operators, and insurance companies, with more organizations using AI-generated visuals for celebrations like Mother's Day, Tabaski, and Ramadan. While AI offers economic advantages, Campbell believes human models can still compete by evolving into content creators or influencers, building an authentic image and community that AI cannot fully replicate. He argues that AI cannot entirely replace human emotion, authenticity, and expression, especially in African societies where cultural values emphasize human interaction and real exper