In a panel discussion at the @TaxJusticeAfric Health Tax Advocacy in Africa Kick-Off Meeting in Johannesburg, VAST Ghana’s Executive Director, Mr. Labram Musah, explored the critical role of civil society organisations in advancing the WHO 3×35 Initiative and how data and evidence can strengthen advocacy efforts. He emphasised the value of meaningful involvement of persons living with NCDs as powerful lived evidence that enriches and legitimises policy arguments. Mr. Musah also shed light on the industry interference playbook, stressing the need for civil society to remain vigilant, anticipate organised resistance, and respond with credible evidence, strategic communication and coordinated action. VAST Ghana remains committed to evidence-based advocacy that prioritises public health and safeguards policy spaces from commercial interests. @TaxJusticeAfric @GA4TJ @Movendi_Int @LabramM

Representing Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development, Ghana (VAST Ghana), Executive Director Mr. @LabramM is in Dakar, Senegal, for the III Pan-African Legal Symposium on Food and Nutrition Governance from 4th–6th August 2026. Building on previous editions, the symposium — organised by the Pan-African Legal Network on Food & Nutrition (PALNEF) and the @IncubatorGHAI in collaboration with the Global Center for Legal Innovation on Food Environments and the O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law brought together legal practitioners , advocates and partners from across Africa to strengthen the use of law and evidence-based legal innovations in advancing healthier food systems. Discussions focus on addressing the challenges of unhealthy and ultra-processed foods, promoting effective food policies, countering industry interference, and supporting measures such as front-of-package labelling and health taxes. The gathering also advances the work of the Pan African Legal Network on Food & Nutrition (PALNEF), creating space for sustained collaboration, knowledge exchange and collective action across the continent. VAST Ghana is proud to contribute Ghana’s experiences and to learn from regional peers as we continue advocating for stronger legal and policy frameworks that protect public health. #VASTGhana #PanAfricanLegalSymposium #PALNEF #FoodPolicy #NutritionGovernance #HealthierFoodSystems #Dakar #health

As part of efforts to strengthen #tobaccocontrol monitoring, compliance, and enforcement, VAST Ghana joined other #civilsociety organisations, media, and relevant stakeholders for a two-day capacity-building session on the Guideline for the Enforcement of Tobacco Advertisement, Promotion and Sponsorship (#TAPS) Restrictions. The training, organised by the @fdaghana, was held from 22nd-23rd September at AH Hotel, Accra. Our Executive Director, Mr. Labram Musah (@LabramM), and Policy and Research Manager, Mr. Godfred Tweneboah Kodua, led sessions that deepened participants’ understanding of emerging tobacco and nicotine marketing strategies and how they can be monitored and addressed. Mr. Musah unpacked digital TAPS as a major #publichealth concern, explaining how digital platforms reach large populations across geographical boundaries, making #TAPS increasingly difficult to monitor and enforce. @LabramM highlighted how algorithms, consumer data, rapidly shared content, and influencer marketing can target young people while concealing commercial relationships. He also explained how industry tactics such as corporate social responsibility, lobbying, and attacks on science can influence regulations and place commercial interests above public health. He stressed the need to strengthen #WHOFCTC Article 13, including action against cross-border marketing and online tobacco sales. Mr. Kodua demonstrated how coordinated campaigns can be detected across social media, websites, and online marketplaces targeting Ghanaian audiences. He also discussed monitoring #health and harm-reduction claims such as “safer,” “healthier,” and “less harmful” in promotions for tobacco and nicotine products, highlighting the role of digital tools in documenting online content and keeping enforcement responsive to industry tactics. The training reaffirmed the critical role of #civilsociety organisations and the media as independent watchdogs in monitoring digital spaces, identifying emerging tactics, reporting violations to regulators, raising public awareness, engaging policymakers, and exposing industry interference. Tobacco marketing does not pause, neither should our efforts to monitor, document, and counter it. @fdaghana @mohgovgh @GhanaRevenue @WHO @FCTCofficial #TobaccoControl #TAPS #ProtectOurYouth #PublicHealth #TobaccoRegulation #VASTGhana #FDAGhana #WHO #FCTC

What does #gender have to do with public health and fiscal policy, particularly in #tobaccocontrol? Quite a lot. Its importance is often understated, yet gender shapes how people experience tobacco exposure and use, the risks they face, their access to information and #health services, and their ability to prevent or quit tobacco use. Social expectations and #gender norms can also influence tobacco-related behaviours and how the industry markets its products. When #publichealth policies overlook these differences, they may fail to adequately respond to the different experiences and needs of women, men, young people and other population groups. Mainstreaming gender into #tobaccocontrol means considering who is exposed, who faces particular risks, who can access prevention and cessation support, and how tobacco policies affect different population groups. It also means ensuring gender considerations are reflected in tobacco taxation and other fiscal policies, from policy design and implementation to monitoring, evaluation, and accountability. Watch the video to hear different perspectives on why #GenderResponsivePolicy matters for stronger and more equitable #TobaccoControl in Ghana. #ProtectOurYouth #TobaccoControl #TobaccoFreeGeneration #GenderMainstreaming #GenderAndHealth #TobaccoTax #PublicHealth #VASTGhana @TaxJusticeAfric, @LabramM @ElDeladem @Franca3952

At #VASTGhana, our weekly exercise session, dubbed "Okeley", is a reminder that #PhysicalActivity is key to preventing and managing non-communicable diseases (#NCDs). This week's workout was led by our Finance and Administrative Manager, Ernestina Esi Aubyn together with National Service Personnel, Eugenia Aku Dede Aryee. Regular physical activity helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other NCDs. However, active living takes more than individual effort. It requires safe, accessible spaces and environments that make #healthychoices easier. As we keep moving, we continue to advocate for stronger #policies, public #investment and #healthierenvironments that support physical activity across our communities, because healthy communities need more than health messages. They need environments that make healthy choices possible. #VASTGhana #Okeley #PhysicalActivity #NCDPrevention #NCDs #PublicHealth #HealthyCommunities #HealthForAll #Health

Congratulations to our Executive Director, Mr. Labram Musah, and our Policy and Research Manager, Mr. Godfred Tweneboah KoduaTweneboah Kodua, on graduating today from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s #AdvocacyAccelerator! We are incredibly proud of the work they undertook on behalf of #VASTGhana throughout this journey. Learn more and join the graduation celebration here: advocacyincubator.org/news/2… Thank you to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (#GHAI) for making this possible. @IncubatorGHAI @CTFKGlobal @TheGGTC #VASTGhana #AdvocacyAccelerator #GHAI #BudgetAdvocacyAccelerator #TobaccoControl #HealthFinancing #PublicHealth #DomesticResourceMobilisation

Your food may be hiding too much sugar, salt or #unhealthy fats. Everyone has a right to know what is in the food they eat. Yesterday, the mass media launch of Front-of-Package Warning Labels (#FOPWL) at Alisa Hotel brought together key voices around one clear agenda: mandatory FOPWL. Front-of-Package Warning Labels do more than just list ingredients. They place clear warning symbols on the front of the pack when a product is high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats - ingredients that are key drivers of rising #Your food may be hiding too much sugar, salt or #unhealthy fats. Policy requires moving beyond conversation to action. This is about creating a food environment where clear, legible information is available to everyone at a glance. Ghana is currently losing thousands of lives to preventable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, conditions closely linked to poor diet. Without clear labelling, consumers are left to guess what's inside the products they buy every day. Mandatory #FOPWL puts that power back where it belongs: with the people. Join the campaign now. Clearer Food Warning Labels. Healthier Choices for Everyone. @VitalStrat @IncubatorGHAI @mohgovgh @_GHSofficial @FDA_officials #KnowWhatYouEat #FOPWL #ClearerFoodLabels #FoodPolicy #NCDPrevention #GhanaHealth #SENDGhana #GAND #VASTGhanaNCDs

“Without robust food policy, we will continue to have high bills because our disease burden will continue to surge.” - Mr. Labram Musah, Executive Director, VAST Ghana Knowing what we eat matters. Clear front-of-pack information can help people quickly identify products high in nutrients of public health concern and make more informed choices. Speaking at the mass media launch of the Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (#FOPWL) campaign, Mr. Labram Musah emphasised that the campaign is about more than putting a label on a package. It is about empowering consumers with information and supporting a broader transformation of Ghana’s food environment. He also stressed the need for strong, #evidence-based policies protected from commercial interference, alongside sustained #publiceducation that reaches households and communities. The mass media campaign is a joint initiative of Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development (VAST) Ghana, the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics(GAND), and SEND GHANA, and forms part of ongoing advocacy by the Food Policy Coalition to strengthen Ghana’s #foodpolicy framework and promote healthier food environments. Join the campaign now. Know what you eat. @SEND_GHANA @VitalStrat @IncubatorGHAI @mohgovgh @fdaghana #FOPWL #HealthyFoodGhana #NCDPrevention #VASTGhana #GAND #SENDGHANA

Tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) no longer appears only in traditional advertising spaces. It is increasingly woven into social media content, influencer campaigns, online sales, and public spaces, making it harder to identify, track, regulate, and enforce. To address these changing tactics, VAST Ghana’s Executive Director, Labram Musah, was among the resource persons who trained participants at a stakeholder workshop on the Guideline for the Enforcement of Tobacco Advertisement, Promotion and Sponsorship (#TAPS) Restrictions. The participants were drawn from regulatory and law enforcement agencies, including the Food and Drugs Authority Ghana (FDA), GRA/Customs, the National Narcotics Control Commission, the Ghana Police Service, among others. Organised by the #FDA with support from Management Sciences for Health (MSH), under the Tobacco Policy Action Fund for Africa (TOPAFA) Project, the training took place from 14th to 16th September 2026 at the Africa Regent Hotel in Accra. As a resource person, Mr. Labram Musah led discussions on emerging and digital tobacco-marketing strategies and industry interference in #tobaccocontrol. Drawing on his experience in #tobaccocontrol advocacy, industry monitoring, and #civilsociety engagement, he examined how influencer and creator content, social media, online marketplaces, and other indirect forms of TAPS expose consumers, particularly young people, to tobacco and nicotine products without appearing to be conventional advertising. He also explained how the #TAPS Enforcement Guideline can be used to identify, document, and respond to these practices across traditional media, digital platforms, and public spaces. As tobacco marketing becomes more discreet and sophisticated, effective enforcement must be able to recognise #TAPS in all the spaces where it appears. VAST Ghana will continue to contribute to efforts that strengthen #accountability and protect young people from tobacco and nicotine marketing. @FDA_officials @GhanaRevenue @GhPoliceService @mohgovgh @MoF_Ghana #TobaccoControl #TAPS #PublicHealth #TobaccoRegulation #VASTGhana #FDAGhana #TOPAFA #ProtectOurYouth #WHO #FCTC #ncds

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

When #health measures are strengthened, the industry response is predictable: claims about job losses, lost investment and economic harm, put forward before any evidence is tested. Public policy should be guided by transparent evidence, not projections that cannot be independently examined. That is why our recent response to Accra Brewery PLC's claims about Ghana's alcohol excise tax reforms highlights the need to scrutinise such projections transparently. Stronger, equitable #alcoholtaxation is not an attack on workers. It is a public-health tool that can help prevent harm, protect young people and raise revenue. WHO recognises alcohol taxation as an effective measure for reducing consumption. For VAST Ghana, protecting the integrity of #publichealth policymaking means ensuring that commercial interests do not outweigh evidence and population-health priorities. As government prepares its #2027Budget, we urge the @MoF_Ghana and relevant agencies to remain resolute in applying evidence-based discipline to fiscal policy affecting population health. Read our position on MyJoyOnline: myjoyonline.com/vast-ghana-b… #IndustryInterference #AlcoholPolicy #AlcoholTax #PublicHealth #NCDs #VASTGhana #EvidenceBasedPolicy #HealthForAll

VAST Ghana, alongside @SEND_GHANA and the @OfficialGAND, convened the Food Policy Coalition Kick-off Meeting on 2nd-3rd July, 2026, bringing together identified civil society organisations to build a coordinated platform for food policy advocacy in Ghana. The meeting reviewed Ghana's current food policy environment, spanning nutrition, health, food systems, consumer protection, and agriculture, and identified priority issues for collective civil society action. Participants also developed a shared vision and strategic focus for the Coalition, agreed on a roadmap for its operationalisation, and reviewed draft advocacy and communications strategies to guide the FOPWL campaign going forward. By strengthening collaboration, promoting transparency, and protecting public health policymaking from undue industry influence, the Food Policy Coalition is building a shared platform to drive lasting public health policy that puts people's health first.