Gabon's new anti-smoking law expands controls, but enforcement doubts persist
The law, promulgated in September 2026, now covers nicotine-derived products such as e-cigarettes and bans retail sales of cigarettes.
Gabon promulgated a new anti-smoking law in September 2026 that extends its reach to nicotine-derived products, including e-cigarettes. It also bans retail sales of cigarettes and requires a specific licence to sell tobacco.
Georgy Silver Anthony Mba Nkogo, president of the NGO SOS Tabagisme Gabon, welcomed the measures, which his organisation has campaigned for for nearly 10 years. He fears they will meet the same fate as the 2013 law, which had no operational mechanism for control. He said only the advertising ban is partially respected, while health warnings, public smoking bans and the ban on sales to minors are still widely flouted.
Mba Nkogo also pointed to the missing national commission against smoking, provided for in the 2013 law, which he says is needed to coordinate action, monitor measures and enforce them on the ground.
Why it mattersShop owners who sold cigarettes at retail must now obtain a specific licence, and the ban on loose sales takes effect under the new law.