Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA has congratulated the National Film and Video Censors Board and two Nigerian-born public health experts for emerging winners at the World Health Organization World No Tobacco Day 2026 Awards.

The NFVCB, Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf of the School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, and Catherine Egbe of the South African Medical Research Council were among the five African Region award recipients announced by the WHO on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

The other African awardees are Nare Narcisse Mathurin and Louise Mapleh Kpoto.

In a statement following the announcement, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa described the recognition as a testament to years of sustained efforts in advancing tobacco control and safeguarding public health across Africa.

Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the awards underscore the growing impact of African-led advocacy against tobacco industry influence and nicotine addiction.

“We warmly congratulate the NFVCB, Professor Catherine Egbe and Professor Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf on this well-deserved global recognition,” Oluwafemi said. “Their work has strengthened tobacco control efforts not only in Nigeria but across the African continent. This honour is also a reminder that sustained advocacy, strong regulation and evidence-based public health policies can save lives.”

He particularly commended the leadership of the NFVCB and its Director-General, Shaibu Hussein, for the 2024 decision banning the promotion and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in Nigerian films, music videos and skits.

“The NFVCB’s Director-General Dr. Shaibu Hussein showed exemplary leadership and courage by taking a bold stand against the normalisation of smoking in entertainment media,” Oluwafemi added. “At a time when the tobacco industry increasingly targets young people through popular culture and digital content, this policy sends a powerful message that public health must come before corporate profit.”

On May 21, 2024, the NFVCB introduced regulations prohibiting the display, promotion and glamorisation of tobacco, tobacco products and nicotine products in Nollywood productions and related entertainment content.

The regulation, approved by the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and backed by the NFVCB Act of 1993, aligns with provisions of Nigeria’s National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019.

Nigeria became the first African country and the second globally after India to implement such restrictions within entertainment media. The move followed years of advocacy under the #SmokeFreeNollywood campaign championed by local tobacco control groups, including CAPPA and the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance.

The regulation also aligns with the implementation guidelines of Article 13 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which addresses tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in entertainment media.

CAPPA also congratulated all global recipients recognised by the WHO for their contributions to tobacco control, including Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya Mohsin Zindani, who received the WHO Director-General’s Special Award.

In total, the WHO announced 38 awardees across Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific regions.

Oluwafemi urged Nigerian authorities to build on the momentum generated by the awards through full implementation of existing tobacco control laws and resistance to tobacco industry interference.

“Recognition is important, but the bigger task remains protecting Nigerians, especially young people, from the devastating health and economic consequences of tobacco use,” he said. “This moment should inspire even stronger commitment to a smoke-free future.”

World No Tobacco Day is commemorated annually on May 31. This year’s theme, “Unmask the appeal – countering tobacco and nicotine addiction,” focuses on exposing tactics used by the tobacco and nicotine industry to target young people and promote addiction.