“FOR years, Africa has been spoken about in global conversations on public health, innovation, and progress; rarely spoken with.
Too often, solutions have arrived fully formed, designed elsewhere, and expected to take root without sufficient regard for local realities. But today, that narrative is shifting,” says Daniel Gyefour, Director of Smoke-Free Products for Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting on this shift.
Across the continent, Africa is stepping into a new role: not as a policy follower, but as an innovation partner in the global drive toward a smoke-free future – one grounded in local leadership and lived experience.
The question is no longer whether Africa will participate in this transformation; it is how decisively it will help shape it. It is against this background that Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA), an affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), has appointed Daniel Gyefour as Director of Smoke-Free Products for Sub-Saharan Africa, signaling a deliberate move toward leadership grounded in lived African experience.
With oversight across Africa including South Africa, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Mali, Gyefour’s mandate is clear: to build a smoke free future by accelerating the transition away from combustible cigarettes for adults who smoke, to less harmful smoke free alternatives.
While these products are not risk free, as they contain nicotine which is addictive, they represent a better alternative for adults who smoke. This shift will be shaped not by importing answers, but by building them locally.
“When I’m asked why the focus on Africa, the answer is simple: it’s a sense of duty,” says Gyefour.
“As Africans, we have a responsibility to help build solutions that are grounded in our own realities. I believe the most meaningful progress happens when leadership is rooted in local understanding because that’s where impact is most sustainable and outcomes truly change.”
“We must drive the impact on our own continent,” Gyefour insists, challenging the idea that Africa should wait for change rather than shape it.
“A smoke‑free future will only succeed here if it is built with Africans, for Africans.”
The best option for any smoker or nicotine user is to stop using these products altogether. But many don’t. PMI‘s approach reflects a deeper shift in thinking about how harm reduction strategies must be pursued on the continent.
Harm-reduction strategies can no longer be designed at a distance and expected to work by default. Without insight, progress risks becoming performative; well-intended, but ineffective. PMSA’s modification places African insight, accountability, and leadership at the centre of decision making, where it belongs.
As PMI deepens its commitment to the continent, the company is also expanding its smokefree footprint across East and West Africa including countries like Kenya, introducing smokefree alternatives as part of a long-term strategy to move adult smokers away from cigarettes to better alternatives.
The expansion reflects PMI’s belief that Africa’s fastest growing markets must be part of the smokefree transition early, not after the fact.
Across strategic African markets, the company is advancing a multi – category portfolio of smoke-free alternatives, including oral nicotine pouches – ZYN, heat-not-burn – IQOS, and e-vapour – VEEV.
This is not about offering a single solution, but about recognising the diversity of economies and consumer realities; and responding with choice. For smoke-free progress to be meaningful, alternatives must be accessible, affordable, and relevant, not introduced as an after-thought.
Gyefour’s years navigating the complexities of Sub-Saharan Africa have shaped a leadership philosophy grounded in realism. He speaks openly about a hard truth he has encountered repeatedly: too many decisions affecting Africa are made with “zero insight” into local context.
“Too often, strategies fail because they are built without listening,” he explains. “If we are serious about moving adults away from cigarettes, we must respect the realities they live in, affordability, access, culture, and trust. Impact comes from listening before leading.”
The urgency of this approach is underscored by the data. Adult smoking frequency remains between 17.2% and 19% across Sub-Saharan Africa, representing tens of millions of smokers in the region[1]. In key markets millions of adults continue to smoke[2], highlighting the continued dominance of cigarettes across adult nicotine consumption in African market[3].
It is a reminder that existing approaches have not yet shifted the trajectory; and that the opportunity for harm reduction remains both significant and time sensitive.
“These figures tell us that Africa faces a heavy smoking incidence reality,” Gyefour notes. “But they also point to an opportunity to change the trajectory now by accelerating access to smoke-free alternatives that people can switch to. Without that, progress will remain out of reach.”
Against this backdrop, South Africa stands out as one of the region’s more established markets, where smoke-free alternatives have achieved high awareness and growing adoption among adult smokers. This experience provides a relevant benchmark for understanding the potential role of science-based smoke-free alternatives across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Based on PMI estimates and market experience, South Africa’s experience shows strong uptake of smoke-free products (SFPs) among adult smokers when access to accurate information on these products are available.
Over time heated tobacco products have established a meaningful adult user base, while nicotine pouches have seen rapid adoption following their introduction. Awareness of SFPs is growing, reflecting acceptance across categories.
Youth access prevention remains a core priority as smoke-free alternatives expand across the region. These products are intended exclusively for adult smokers, and are supported by strict age-verification, responsible retail practices, and disciplined marketing and communication standards, consistent with applicable laws and regulatory frameworks.
This commitment is reflected through age-verification at point of sale, restrictions on youth-oriented marketing, and advocacy for clear, enforceable regulations ensuring smoke-free alternatives reach only adult smokers[4].
PMI’s smoke-free ambition on the continent extends beyond products alone.
It includes capacity building, providing accurate information, regulatory engagement, and long-term investment in local teams equipped to deliver sustainable change from the ground up. The goal is a sustainable transition to a smoke-free future.
“This journey is not about speed,” Gyefour concludes. “It’s about building something that lasts by empowering people on the ground and creating smoke-free alternatives for adults who smoke or use nicotine products that can genuinely replace cigarettes.
When Africa shapes the path, the outcome is not only more credible, but also far more sustainable.”
As Africa’s population, influence, and role in the global economy continue to grow, PMSA’s position is explicit: the future of harm reduction cannot be exported. It must be co-created within the continent, guided by insight, responsibility, and leadership that understands what is at stake.
“The question is no longer whether Africa will be part of the smoke‑free future,” Gyefour says. “The real question is whether the world is ready to recognise Africa as one of its architects.”
[1] Tobacco Smoking in Mauritus, Smoking, vaping, HTP, NRT and snus in South Africa
Accessed 26 January 2026
[2] Tobacco smoking in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Accessed 1 April 2026
[3] Current prevalence pattern of tobacco smoking in Nigeria
Accessed 1 April 2026
Accessed 1 April 2026
Image supplied ( Newly appointed Daniel Gyefour, Director of Smoke-Free Products for Sub-Saharan Africa believes a smoke‑free future will only succeed if it is built with Africans, for Africans.)
