A new study has flagged rising tobacco marketing targeting Nigerian women and girls, warning that tobacco companies are increasingly using television, films, streaming platforms and social media to glamorise smoking and appeal to younger female audiences.
The study, conducted by Abuja-based public policy firm Gatefield with support from the Gates Foundation, found that more than 77% of women surveyed across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal reported exposure to tobacco-related content in television programmes, movies and streaming services, while women aged 18 to 24 recorded the highest exposure to influencer promotions and online advertising.
Titled “The Evolution of Tobacco Marketing to Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa”, the report examined how tobacco companies are deploying sophisticated marketing tactics, including flavours, packaging and messaging, to appeal to women across the region.
According to the findings, social media has become a major channel for targeting younger women, particularly through influencer promotions, product placements and giveaways on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
In South Africa, for instance, 30% of respondents observed influencers promoting tobacco products, a trend that has rapidly spread across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The stydy noted that while these tactics present smoking as an expression of independence and sophistication, they obscure the health risks and normalise tobacco use among a demographic traditionally resistant to smoking.
“The tobacco industry has been targeting African women for years,” Omei Bongos, the co-principal investigator and Public Health Lead at Gatefield said.
“Our research presents a
gender-specific analysis that makes clear just how the industry has been doing this”, Bongos added.
The study further revealed that respondents associate tobacco advertising with relaxation,
adventure, and sophistication, even though cultural stigma against female smoking persists
across the region.
It found that aproximately 76% of respondents indicated that female smoking is “not at all acceptable,” yet tobacco marketing continues to erode these social norms, increasingly positioning smoking as a symbol of autonomy and empowerment.
The study called for urgent policy changes and stronger enforcement of advertising bans to protect vulnerable populations, particularly young women and girls. It also emphasised the need for budget advocacy to strengthen government’s enforcement capacity and public awareness to dismantle the industry’s misleading empowerment narrative, emphasizing health, financial freedom, and self-care.
The study further recommended a robust case for stronger tobacco control policies and counter-advertising eforts tailored towards exposing tobacco industry strategies and protecting African women and girls from targeted tactics that threaten public health.
Farida Adamu, Gatefield’s lead researcher maintained that, “Without immediate regulatory action, including platform
accountability that holds tech companies like Meta and X accountable, the risks to public health are immense, as younger generations of African women face increasing exposure to harmful, misleading marketing through digital platforms.”
Ireti Kingibe, Senator representing FCT, represented by Mercy Kwabe,her legislative aide, at the unveiling of the study announced that the Senator’s ofice, as well as the Senate Committee on Women Afairs, is committed to working collaboratively to ensure Nigeria’s tobacco control policies are rigorously enforced and updated to address emerging threats like e-cigarettes, synthetic nicotine, and unregulated digital advertising.
She also mentioned that the Senator’s ofice will “support civil society initiatives that redefine what true empowerment looks like for the African woman, one rooted in health, leadership, and well-being, not addiction.”
