Health experts championing the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs, have reaffirmed that the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks remains the greatest risk factor for NCDs and related deaths globally, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The specialists spoke during an online seminar on 24 September 2025, focused on raising awareness and building collaborative action. The event, organised by the Central Africa NCDs Alliance (AMNTAC), featured contributions from the African NCDs Network and AMNTAC members. It formed part of the World Action Week on NCDs, held under the theme “The Time of Leaders.”
During a presentation on NCDs’ public health impact, Takwe Boniface, Programme Manager at the CBCHS, defined NCDs as non-transmissible diseases like hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and depression, which often present no initial symptoms. He identified the primary risk factors as tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and air pollution.
The session revealed staggering global statistics: 1.3 billion people live with hypertension, 537 million with diabetes, and 20 million new cancer cases are recorded annually. In 2021 alone, NCDs were responsible for 43 million deaths worldwide, with cardiovascular diseases claiming 19 million lives and cancers 10 million.
The economic burden of NCDs is equally severe. Experts outlined impacts including lost productivity, a weakened workforce, increased early mortality, and reduced savings and investment. For children, NCDs lead to high absenteeism, dropped academic performance, and cognitive impairment following treatments like chemotherapy.
To counter this growing crisis, the experts highlighted the World Health Organisation’s, WHO, call to action. Key recommendations include expanding access to essential medicines, securing financing through improved local budgets and health taxes, and setting bold national targets.
A central and urgent proposal was the implementation of heavy taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks. The experts also stressed the need to stop industry interference in health policy and to strengthen prevention, early detection, and treatment programmes.
Other presentations covered expectations for the upcoming UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs, the creation of national alliances to combat these diseases, and the crucial role of the media in the effort.
The consensus among the specialists was clear: the cost of inaction in preventing and managing NCDs will have a devastating public health impact, making the attainment of key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) profoundly difficult.
By Nformi Sonde Kinsai