By Feni Hiveluah
Fruit-flavoured nicotine products and brightly coloured vaping devices are rapidly reshaping tobacco use patterns among Namibian youth. Schools and public spaces are reporting increased uptake among learners.
As hookah pipes and flavoured vapes replace the traditional cigarette as the preferred nicotine delivery method, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is moving to strengthen tobacco control legislation to cover emerging products.
Deputy health minister Suzan Ndjakela said the ministry is in the process of amending the Tobacco Products Control Act to regulate new tobacco and nicotine products.
She was speaking at a recent Africa Regional Tobacco Control Partners Meeting.
She maintained that outcomes of such engagements must promote youth-friendly approaches to tobacco control.
“We recognise that partnerships such as this are essential in rein- forcing national efforts and fostering innovation in addressing emerging challenges, including new tobacco and nicotine products,” Ndjakela said.
She said, with the support from the Ministry of International Relations and Trade, Namibia is also progressing with accession to the protocol on the elimination of illicit trade in tobacco products.
According to Ndjakela, tobacco use remains a major public health challenge in Africa, driving non-communicable diseases, preventable deaths and socio-economic strain.
“As governments and partners, we carry a shared responsibility to strengthen policy implementation, enhance enforcement mechanisms, and promote public awareness to reduce tobacco consumption and exposure.”
World Health Organisation (WHO) Namibia representative Richard Banda said more than seven million people die annually due to tobacco use, including over one million non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.
He said the African region is at a critical crossroad, with an estimated 61 million tobacco users, about 10 percent of the population, a figure expected to rise without urgent intervention.
Banda said while tobacco use has declined in many high-income countries, the burden is increasingly shifting to low- and middle-income countries, including in Africa.
He commended Namibia for its implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and related national laws aimed at reducing tobacco use and exposure.
The WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic Report 2025 shows 110 countries now require graphic health warnings, while 25 have adopted plain packaging to reduce product appeal. However, it notes stagnation in mass media campaigns, leaving gaps in prevention efforts.
On the ground, young users say peer pressure and social belonging are key drivers of smoking initiation.
One user said smoking was influenced by friends and environment rather than a deliberate choice. They added that exposure in- creased the likelihood of adopting the habit.
Another user explained that she initially disliked smoking but eventually began using tobacco products due to social influence and later started purchasing them herself. The Namibia National Students Association (NANSO) says vaping has overtaken cigarettes in schools, with learners as young as Grade 7 using flavoured devices.
NANSO spokesperson Jessy Abrahams said vaping is more discreet and accessible than traditional cigarettes, making it harder to detect in school environments.
“Vapes are being used in class- rooms, in bathrooms, even in primary schools,” Abrahams said. She notes that flavours such as bubblegum, watermelon and mango are designed to attract young users.
Abrahams said the lack of regulation and normalisation of vaping has made it a gateway to nicotine addiction among youth.
She welcomed government plans to amend the law, saying it strengthens youth campaigns such as #LosDieChoef.
According to her, enforcement must be combined with education, teacher training and peer-led awareness programmes.
“Legislation alone will not save a generation. It creates the floor, not the ceiling.” Furthermore, she called for nicotine education from primary school level.
