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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

ACS to spend $7m grant in Africa over 5 years

In an unprecedented effort to reduce tobacco related deaths in Africa the American Cancer Society (ACS) is set to fund tobacco control activities on the continent with a $7million grant spread over five years. The grant will be channelled through the Africa Tobacco Control Consortium (ATCC).
The consortium coordinated by the America Cancer Society (ACS), includes the Africa Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI) , Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). ATCC’s s goal is to promote evidence-based tobacco control in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in order to prevent an epidemic of tobacco-caused death and disease in the region.
The $7 million grant, will provide financial and technical support for in-country implementation of the FCTC, implementation of a region wide advocacy campaign to prioritise tobacco control within the broader health and development agenda in Africa, targeted rapid response research to influence policy development and the monitoring of the implementation of the FCTC in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA).