Commission drills stakeholders in new Tobacco Act

Tobacco Commission (TC) says it will continue implementing the new Tobacco Act despite negative reactions from some stakeholders.

TC deputy chief executive officer Levi Phelani said this on Friday in Mangochi when the tobacco industry regulator engaged Southern and Eastern region police investigators, prosecutors, chiefs and tobacco growers on the new Act.

The meeting sought to sensitise the participants to the new Tobacco Act, which came into effect last year. Among others, the Act provides more protection to smallholder tobacco farmers while addressing conflict of interest among licensed players in the tobacco industry.

Phelani said the new Act, has faced resistance from some sectors due to, among others, an information gap.

“This is why today we have convened this workshop to build capacity of the participants, especially the investigators and prosecutors in the areas of investigations and prosecutions of cases that are related to the tobacco industry Act,” he said

Malawi Police Service Senior Assistant Commissioner and head of prosecution Nepier Thomoson Chafikana said the meeting will help officers to work diligently, thereby meeting the aspirations of the act.

“Before this engagement, we lacked some critical information related to this newly passed legislation, but thanks to TC, the meeting has solved the challenges,” he said.