Malawi Hosts ITGA 2025 Africa Meeting, with Experts Pointing to Record Leaf Output and Rising Nicotine Product Growth in Africa

Key Points：

· The ITGA 2025 Africa Regional Meeting took place in Malawi, gathering representatives from five major African tobacco-producing countries and international stakeholders.

· Malawi’s agriculture minister emphasized tobacco’s economic importance, supporting over 1 million jobs directly and indirectly.

· In 2025, global leaf tobacco production reached record volumes and prices declined after years of tight supply, while global cigarette demand remained stable.

· In Africa, growth of electronic nicotine products continued despite affordability challenges for heated tobacco products.

· Discussions covered impacts of the EU Due Diligence Directive and COP11 on African growers.

· Emphasis on supporting small-scale farmers, promoting diversification, and strengthening resilience and sustainability.

[Taco Tuinstra, 2Firsts] The International Tobacco Growers' Association (ITGA) convened its 2025 Africa Regional Meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi, with a high-level open session conference on July 3. The event brought together key stakeholders from Malawi, Mozambique Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the international community, uniting representatives across the tobacco value chain to address shared challenges and strategic priorities.

Malawi’s minister of agriculture, Samuel Dalitso Kawale, officially opened the session, noting the economic significance of tobacco for the region. "Today I am here testifying the commitment of the government of Malawi to the role tobacco farmers play in the economies of our countries and region,” Kawale said. “Only in Malawi the crop supports over 1 million people being employed directly or indirectly in the supply chain. We thank the ITGA for bringing the industry together.”

Kawale emphasized the importance of knowledge-sharing on issues such as sustainability, child labor and cost of production.

Addressing the session virtually, ITGA President Jose Javier Aranda underscored the pivotal role of his organization. “The strong commitment to the ITGA from our Africa members and partners has made it possible for our association to establish a strong footprint in this region.” He reiterated that in an increasingly volatile world market, ITGA remains an important information hub of the leaf tobacco sector, helping growers take informed decisions to improve their businesses.

Global Insights: Record 2025 Crop Volumes, Falling Prices, and Stable Global Demand

Charity Musonzo, director of Trade in Goods at Malawi’s Ministry of Trade & Industry, elaborated on the structural challenges affecting the tobacco sector. She warned of overdependence on tobacco, limited farmer earnings and market concentration, while stressing the need for auction reforms, diversification, investment in value addition, and climate-resilient practices.

Ivan Genov, ITGA manager for tobacco industry analysis, shared his insights into the global market. He reported that top producers—including Brazil, Zimbabwe, and Zambia—are seeing record crop volumes in 2025, resulting in part in declining average prices after years of tight supply. Christopher Day of Euromonitor International provided insights into tobacco consumption trends.

Euromonitor expects global cigarette volumes to remain stable in the coming years, amid economic pressure and the growth of electronic nicotine delivery systems in Africa despite affordability challenges for heated tobacco products in the region.

Regulatory and Policy Focus

During a regulations-focused panel, participants focused on supply chain compliance under the EU Due Diligence Directive, as well as the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP11). Participants considered the potential impacts of these developments on African tobacco-growing countries and emphasized the importance of coordinated regional responses and policy alignment.

Supporting Small-Scale Farmers

IFAD Zambia Program Director Brian Kapotwe emphasized the critical role of small-scale farmers in Africa, noting that over 60% of the population is engaged in agriculture. He stressed that agriculture remains central to food security, employment, export earnings and rural livelihoods. Calling to attention the importance of resilience and inclusion, Kapotwe shared that IFAD is focusing on an inclusive, resilient and market-driven agricultural transformation. He insisted that with shifting global markets and climate realities, African tobacco growers should diversity their operations.

Promoting Good Labor Practices and Agricultural Practices

Innocent Mugwagwa, executive director of the Elimination of Child Labour in Tobacco (ECLT) Foundation, presented an in-depth review of child labor trends and their implications for the tobacco sector. Drawing on findings from a recent ILO-UNICEF report, he pointed out that Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face the most severe challenges, especially among children aged five to 11, who are at the highest risk. ECLT’s argues for targeted support for this vulnerable group, meaningful farmer inclusion in shaping global strategies, and the strengthening of national and international platforms for cross-sectoral collaboration.

Gracious Ndalama, project manager at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Malawi, addressed the conference on the topic of “Decent Work.” He shared the ILO’s key pillars: international labor standards and fundamental principles and rights at work, employment creation, social protection and social dialogue and tripartism. Ndalama showcased ongoing training sessions with farmers, conducted in partnership with the TAMA Farmers Trust, aimed at promoting these principles and strengthening compliance and labor practices across the agricultural sector.

Patrick Chiwaya from the Agriculture Research Extension Trust (ARET) Malawi presented findings on efforts to accelerate the transition from tenancy to waged employment within the tobacco sector. Based on ARET’s recent study, he pointed out the urgent need for increased access to loans for tobacco farmers, training in financial literacy, and the role of tobacco companies in expanding access to bridging finance. Chiwaya also stressed the promotion of income diversification as a critical pathway to improving farmer livelihoods and economic resilience.

Conclusion

As ITGA’s 2025 Africa regional meeting concluded, the organization reaffirmed the association’s role as a vital platform for raising the voices of growers, fostering dialogue across the value chain, and driving coordinated responses to the evolving challenges facing the tobacco sector.

As a partner of ITGA, 2Firsts delivered full coverage of the meeting. Stay tuned to 2Firsts for faster access to global leaf tobacco market news and insights.

ITGA and 2Firsts Partnership

Founded in 1984, the International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) is a non-profit organization established by representatives of tobacco growers from multiple countries worldwide. It aims to advocate for growers, balance regulatory objectives with farmers’ livelihoods, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.

2Firsts is a global leading media and consulting organization specializing in the next-generation tobacco products (NGP) sector. It is committed to connecting the global industry chain through professional reporting, in-depth research, and compliance services, advancing tobacco harm reduction (THR) and industry sustainability.

In April 2025, ITGA and 2Firsts officially signed a memorandum of understanding during the ITGA Americas Regional Meeting held in San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, launching a strategic partnership. Their collaboration covers four core areas, supporting global growers and facilitating cooperation and transformation between traditional and next-generation products while promoting global market communication and shared development:

● Official Media Partner: 2Firsts becomes ITGA’s official media partner, participating in and reporting on global meetings and activities to enhance industry influence.

● Co-Organizing Conferences: Both parties will jointly organize the ITGA Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting to create a high-quality dialogue platform focusing on cultivation, trends, and policy changes.

● Greater China Representative: 2Firsts serves as ITGA’s exclusive local contact representative in Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), facilitating deeper regional cooperation.

● Joint Research & Publications: The two will co-develop and release industry blue books and market research reports, providing authoritative insights and forward-looking analysis.

To learn more about the collaboration between ITGA and 2Firsts, click here.