MoH rolls out TCDI to provide policy makers with data access

Kenya’s Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Development Gateway through the Division of Tobacco Control, has launched the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) dashboard.The dashboard provides policy makers with access to relevant data to advance tobacco control implementation in the coun

The TCDI Kenya dashboard is part of a broader effort to combat the rising prevalence of tobacco use in Kenya, which is one of the leading preventable contributors to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive airways disease, diabetes, cancers, and renal diseases account for over 50% of hospital admissions and 39% of all deaths annually in Kenya.Dr.Patrick Amoth, Director General for Health in Kenya, launched the dashboard in Nairobi, emphasizing the need for data-driven decision making to tackle the country’s NCD crisis.The TCDI dashboard is one of several country-specific platforms designed by Development Gateway in collaboration with the University of Cape Town’s Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP).

Other TCDI country dashboards already exist for South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) dashboard is soon to be launched.

With the launch of the TCDI dashboard, policy makers in Kenya now have a powerful tool at their disposal to drive evidence-based decision making and support efforts to reduce tobacco use and improve public health outcomes.