Experts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja approved a draft directive to establish a system to track tobacco products and ensure duty has been paid, the organisation said.

“The draft directive is meant among others to harmonise the legislative and regulatory provisions of member states on tracing and tracking mechanisms applicable to tobacco products in order to facilitate the smooth running of the domestic market of tobacco products,” ECOWAS said. Implementing a tracking system with accurate record keeping would put member states in compliance with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in tobacco products, the organisation said at the close of a two-day meeting.