Senegalese cigarette billboard promising “Win a trip to America with L&M!”

Big Tobacco expands in West Africa

It appears that the tried and true aggressive marketing tactics of American owned multi-national tobacco companies are working in developing nations. For the past few years, Philip Morris and its cohorts have stepped up the aggressive marketing of their deadly products to African youth and young women.

The billboard in Senegal shown in the photo entices the young to smoke and send in their proof of purchase seals to enter into a drawing to “win a trip to America.” Unfortunately, few if any would be granted an appointment to even request a visa to the U.S. if they were ever lucky enough to “win” the contest.

But the true winner in this scenario is of course big tobacco; they are simply playing a numbers game knowing that for every hundred youth who are enticed to smoke, a certain percentage will become addicted to cigarettes and thus lifelong contributors to their billion dollar coffers.

Smoking prevalence data is hard to come by in Africa, but in every major city across the continent youth and young women appear to be smoking up a storm. Paradoxically, as these young people emulate what they perceive to be Western sophistication, Western countries are enacting increasingly tougher legislation, protecting its young from big tobacco.

Evidently, these marketing tactics are paying off in a big way. Philip Morris International has started construction on a $25 million factory just outside of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. This plant will be Philip Morris’ first wholly owned tobacco plant in Africa.

Carol McGruder

Philip Morris, the company that brought us the iconic Marlboro Man, has had its eye on Senegal for a long time. Senegal, a country known for stability and relative democracy, was the first African country to enact tobacco control legislation back in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Confidential internal tobacco industry documents dating from the ‘80s reveal that Philip Morris has long worked to undermine Senegal’s legitimate right to protect the health of her citizens.

West African tobacco control advocates are up in arms at the latest move from Altria’s Philip Morris. They know that the creation of jobs and the revenues from taxes will enable Philip Morris to consolidate its power base in West Africa, entrenching itself further into the very fabric of African life.

With limited enforcement of existing tobacco control legislation, big tobacco will continue to target youth by sponsoring youth dances and sporting events, and they will continue to give away tobacco products and promotional items – practices that big tobacco is prohibited from in the United States.

Targeting young parents are the toddler-sized Marlboro t-shirt and shorts outfits that are given out at neighborhood stores where people purchase cigarettes. Apparently the tobacco industry pledge that “we will never market to children again” only applies to American children.

The Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) is a global tobacco treaty that was adopted in May 2003 by the member countries of the World Health Organization. The FCTC is the first international health treaty of any kind, and it sets a foundation that will help protect the children of developing nations. The framework represents an unprecedented effort to stop a worldwide epidemic that currently kills 5 million people a year.

Malboro-branded baby clothes – giving your baby the kiss of death!

It should never be forgotten that Americans comprise only 4 percent of that global market and that these U.S. based multi-nationals are outsourcing death as they lure the youth of poor developing countries into a life of toxic cigarette addiction.

As Africa deals with economic development, the crisis of AIDS and the specter of war and civil strife, it does not need the added burden of the death and sickness of tobacco related diseases. Our brothers and sisters in Africa need the protection of a strong framework. To find out how you and your organizations can help support the FCTC contact, email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Carol McGruder is project director of Communities Under Siege-United Against The Globalization of Big Tobacco, www.cus-united.org.

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