Tanzania
Tanzania has joined the list of African countries that have banned the import, manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol contained in plastic bags.
The government announced the ban on Wednesday (March 1, 2017), with the dual objective of protecting youth and the environment.
The decision, which has been announced for several months, “comes into force on Wednesday 1 March in all provinces,” Environment Minister Jan Makamba said in a statement.
These small sachets containing all kinds of alcoholic drinks pollute the environment because they are thrown away after consumption. They are also a public health problem, as they are very consumed by young people.
Easily concealed in pockets of trousers or school bags, they easily enter classrooms. In some schools, one can see young students “suck”, between two courses, bags of 50 milliliters.
The drinks are largely cheap – some brands going for a quarter dollar. Reports indicate that some are selling in some places better than sodas. After drinking them, patrons often throw the empty sachets on the roads and into the sewers or vacant lots.
The ban was announced last year by the government, some businessmen who are into the import and sale kicked against it but it has been welcomed by Tanzanians, especially parents, teachers and religious leaders .
The most recent African country to have ban it was Ivory Coast. Senegal, Malawi and Rwanda, have already taken similar measures.
Ban on alcohol in sachets [The Morning Call] https://t.co/0trg1m23Ho via
— SWAN PRESS AGENCY (swanpressagency) November 21, 2016YouTube
01:11
World Bank suspends funding for Tanzania tourism project
01:13
UK lawmakers pass bill seeking to gradually phase out smoking
02:18
Young Ugandans dream of being professional wrestlers
11:10
Coltan: at the heart of DRC-Rwanda tensions [Business Africa]
00:44
Three Tanzanian soldiers killed in Democratic Republic of Congo
01:02
Sierra Leone declares emergency over drug abuse