(Business in Cameroon) - In Cameroon, each smoker spends an average of 4,691 FCFA per month on cigarettes. This amounts to 8.9% of the monthly per capita GDP, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) which was conducted by the National Institute of Statistics, with the support of the Cameroonian Public Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation.

The same source reveals that smoking is more pronounced in the 25-44 age group in which monthly expenditure per smoker per month is over 5,000 FCFA, while 15-24 year olds spend around 4,123 FCFA each month on cigarettes.

In light of this increase in smoking, which has a devastating effect on health that cannot be ignored, Cameroon’s anti-tobacco committee has been suggesting that the government raise taxes on this product in order to limit its consumption, particularly among youth who are more and more inclined to smoke.