Economic Implications of Tobacco Usage on Sustainable Development in South and West African Region

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue XII, December 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Economic Implications of Tobacco Usage on Sustainable Development in South and West African Region

JOSEPH, Afolabi Ibikunle Ph.D.
Department of Economics, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract:-National development and invariably regional development is a pre–requisite to sustainable development. However, the role of youth in sustainable development in any country cannot be downplayed especially in terms of labour supply, human capital development, future revenue generation and future hope of parent as a long run return. Incidentally, substance use such as cocaine, heroin, cannabis sativa, tobacco and in the most recent psychoactive drugs like benerlyne with codeine, toilet sneezing and shisha have become so rampant among the youth with their devastating health effect such as cancer, mental illness, psychosis, tuberculosis but more importantly, the negative social behavior and even death affects development. This paper therefore, examines the economic implications of tobacco use on sustainable development in South and West African. Applying the descriptive and situational analysis, the study reveals that tobacco use as well as tobacco – related deaths is on the increase and has devastating effects on the long run in reducing human capital and loss of revenue to the economy. The study therefore recommends that an outright ban of tobacco use in public place be enforced and high taxes be imposed on tobacco and related goods in order to reduce its massive consumption by youth.

Keywords: Tobacco, Youths, sub-Saharan, Sustainable Development, Human Capital

JEL Classification: I12, I15, I18

I. INTRODUCTION

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 7 million people a year. More than 6 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 890 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. It is the leading preventable cause of death and disability worldwide that kills half of its users worldwide of which about 1.1 billion of smokers are currently living in the world (World Health Organization 2018). Around 80% of the 1.1 billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest over 80% of these deaths occur in low- or middle-income countries. These countries bear almost 40% of the global economic cost of smoking from health expenditures and lost productivity, estimated at over US$ 1.4 trillion (WHO, 2018; 2017).

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