Global Health seminar - Fiscal and Public Health Impact of a Change in Tobacco Excise Taxes in Ghana
Event details
Authors: Ama Pokuaa Fenny, Aba Obrumah Crentsil, Christian Kwaku Osei, Felix Ankomah Asante
Abstract
This study examines the fiscal and public health implications of increasing tobacco excise taxes in Ghana. The research uses an evidence-based approach to assess how higher tobacco taxes can contribute to reducing tobacco consumption and its related health risks, such as cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular conditions. By modeling the price elasticity of demand for tobacco, the study demonstrates that tobacco use is sensitive to price increases, leading to a decrease in consumption and smoking prevalence. Additionally, the research highlights the fiscal benefits of tax increases, showing that raising tobacco excise taxes can significantly boost government revenue, which can be reinvested into public health initiatives. The findings suggest that implementing higher tobacco taxes is an effective dual strategy for improving public health outcomes while also generating sustainable revenue for the government. The study calls for stronger tobacco control policies, emphasizing the role of taxation as one of the most impactful measures to reduce smoking and related healthcare costs in Ghana.
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Speaker: Ama Pokuaa Fenny, Institute of Statistical Social & Economic Research, University of Ghana
Professor Ama Pokuaa Fenny is an Associate Professor and Head of the Economics Division at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana. She is a health economist with over two decades of experience in research and policy work related to health economics, health service delivery, social protection, and gender analysis across West and East Africa. She is an experienced lecturer and researcher with expertise in health systems strengthening, healthcare financing, and cost-effectiveness analysis. She has led and collaborated on projects funded by organizations such as IDRC, MRC, USAID, the World Bank, UNAIDS, UNFPA, and WHO, while also supporting policy efforts of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, among others.
In 2016, she was accepted as a West Africa Global Health Leaders Fellow with the Centre on Global Health Security at Chatham House. Her research focused on integrating the poor into social health insurance programs in Sub-Saharan African countries. She has since been actively engaged in developing strategies to improve health systems performance and governance to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Ghana. In 2020, she served as a member of the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) Commission, which produced a comprehensive report on the state of UHC in Africa. Her contributions led to her role as a Commissioner on Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020.
A widely published researcher, Professor Fenny has made significant contributions to global health policy and development across Africa. She also serves as a Board Director of the International Health Economics Association (IHEA) and as Scientific Co-Chair of the
African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA). She holds a PhD in Health Economics from Aarhus University, Denmark, and an MSc in Health, Population & Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Contact
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