Adeola's* hands shook again. Not from nerves or cold, but an involuntary acknowledgement of the now-familiar craving that seemed to control her life.
Succumbing to that urge meant spending her meal money on nicotine pouches instead of food. The worst part was knowing that relief would be only temporary.
The 17-year-old Nigerian hadn't planned on her life taking this trajectory when she first tried a strawberry-flavoured vape months earlier.
"It tasted like candy," she tells TRT Afrika. "My friends said it wasn't even real smoking…I didn’t know it would control me like this."
The question facing some African youth isn't whether they will encounter enticingly flavoured nicotine products – it's how long before the strawberry, menthol, and cotton-candy masks slip away.
In Kenya, 16-year-old Jamal’s* struggles with vaping addiction and nicotine withdrawal mirror those of Adeola.
He started using menthol-flavoured nicotine pouches at 14, drawn in by their minty taste and the belief that they were safer than cigarettes.
"At first, it was just for fun. Then I couldn’t stop," admits the Nairobi boy. "I would get headaches and feel sick without them."
But Jamal fought back. With support from a local youth anti-tobacco group, he quit after a challenging six months.
"Breaking free was the hardest thing I have ever done," he tells TRT Afrika. "Now, I warn my friends: these flavours are a trap."
Growing epidemic
On World No Tobacco Day 2025, commemorated on May 31, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued an urgent appeal to governments worldwide to ban all flavoured tobacco and nicotine products to protect youth from a growing epidemic.
"Flavours are fuelling a new wave of addiction and should be banned," says WHO’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "They undermine decades of progress in tobacco control."
Over 50 countries have banned flavoured tobacco, with more than 40 prohibiting e-cigarette sales. But nicotine accessories like capsule filters and click-on flavour drops remain largely unregulated.
Some African nations are making changes, though. South Africa, Mauritius and Ethiopia have imposed restrictions on e-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco, while Kenya is considering stricter regulations after reports of schoolchildren using nicotine pouches.
However, enforcement remains a challenge, as the tobacco industry utilises social media influencers, bright packaging, and varied flavours to lure young users.
Dr Rüdiger Krech, WHO’s director of health promotion, doesn’t mince words about the nicotine industry’s packaging and marketing tactics.
“We are watching a generation get hooked on nicotine through gummy bear-flavoured pouches and rainbow-coloured vapes," he says. "This isn’t innovation, it’s manipulation. And we must stop it. "
Flavoured entrapment
Medical experts echo WHO’s concerns about the growing trend of portraying vaping as less harmful than conventional cigarettes.
Dr Asha Mohamed, a pulmonologist in Nairobi, notes with alarm the increasing number of people battling ailments caused by vaping.
"Young patients come in with severe lung irritation, not realising that these ‘fun’ flavours they are addicted to deliver toxic chemicals straight into their bodies," she tells TRT Afrika.
WHO’s call to global action now has an urgency about it. Despite governments and activists pushing back against industry tactics, eight million tobacco-related deaths annually signal that the battle is far from won.
For Adeola and Jamal, the battle is personal. They have experienced the dangers of nicotine addiction and survived because of their determination to kick the habit.
After months of struggling, Adeola quit using flavoured nicotine products. She fears for her peers who haven’t been able to do the same.
"They don’t know how dangerous these flavours are," she says.
Jamal couldn’t agree more. "Don’t be fooled by the taste," he says. "The flavours are sweet, but the addiction is bitter,” he tells TRT Afrika.
*Some names have been changed to protect their identities
