ABSTRACT:
Beyond Policy Adoption: Civil Society Capacity Strengthening for Equitable and Sustainable Tobacco Control in Africa.

INTRODUCTION:
The adoption of tobacco control policies aligned with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control represents an important public health milestone across Africa. However, persistent gaps between policy adoption, effective implementation, and sustainable financing continue to undermine equity, particularly in contexts facing ongoing tobacco industry interference. Closing these gaps demands a dual focus: optimising policy design and fortifying civil society’s capacity for sustained engagement in implementation, fiscal oversight, and accountability.

METHODS:
This paper draws on an ongoing doctoral study employing a mixed-methods design that combines document analysis such as policy and budget documents, with semi-structured interviews. Using Nigeria as the primary empirical case, the study examines how civil society organisations (CSOs) engage in tobacco control policy implementation and fiscal advocacy, and how these engagements are shaped by governance and public finance contexts. While empirically grounded in Nigeria, the analysis reflects on implications for other African settings facing similar structural challenges.

RESULTS:
Preliminary and indicative insights suggest that civil society capacity strengthening supports equity by amplifying community perspectives, monitoring implementation gaps, and drawing attention to under-resourcing that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. These capacities also appear to contribute to sustainability by fostering institutional memory, continuity, and engagement with domestic resource mobilisation beyond short-term, donor-driven cycles. At the same time, CSOs operate within constrained environments characterised by limited access to budget decision-making spaces and persistent industry interference, which shape both the scope and limits of their engagement.

CONCLUSIONS:
Moving beyond policy adoption requires sustained investment in civil society capacity as a core component of tobacco control governance. Strengthening these capacities is critical for translating policy commitments into equitable and durable public health outcomes in Nigeria and across comparable African contexts.