The WHO Country Representative to Uganda, Dr. Wondemagegnehu Alemu, received on Friday, 21 June 2012, a team of consultants from EnCompass LLC (USA), who are in the country to evaluate the WHO Gates Africa Tobacco Control Project in Uganda. This is the second annual appraisal for the project, which was launched back in 2011, with the objective to support African governments arrest the growing tobacco use epidemic in the African Region.

One of the major milestones of the Project was to establish a centre of excellence in tobacco control, namely the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA), within the School of Public Health of the Makerere University. The center is situated at Kasangati, a few kilometers outside Kampala and is endowed with infrastructural and human resource needed to support African countries address the tobacco epidemic.

The primary activity within the Project is the implementation of the WHO- Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Africa, which came into force in 2005.

This will be achieved by, among others, developing policies and legislation to regulate tobacco use, increasing tobacco taxation, ban of tobacco products advertising, and protecting the public from exposure to tobacco smoke.

In appreciating the great work the Project has embarked on, Dr Alemu expressed his pride for having the Centre established in Uganda, and the WHO Country Office entrusted the role of the local host. He further pledged his full support to ensure the Project succeeds. The Project has a regional scope, and is

currently supporting five countries (Angola, Kenya, Mauritania, South Africa and Uganda), but also two regional economic blocs of West and East Africa.

The Team from EnCompass, comprising of Miss Lynne Franco and Ms Lyn Messner was accompanied by the Project Manager from WHO- Headquarters Dr. Vinayak Prasad, the CTCA Manager, Dr. Possy Mugyenyi, the WHO Senior Project Advisor Dr.Robert Machang’u and WHO Technical Advisor Mr William Onzivu.

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For more information please contact :

Benjamin Sensasi, Health Promotion Advisor, WHO Country Office
Tel 256-41-335500
Email: sensasib [at] ug.afro.who.int