Abstract

The paper examines the role of tobacco interest groups in obstructing the adoption of tobacco control policies in developing countries using the interest groups and global advocacy network theories. Specifically, it combines expert interviews with review of secondary materials to examine the strategies to promote the adoption of a tobacco control law in Ghana. This study finds that the adoption of the voluntary agreements in Ghana created the enabling environment for the adoption of a tobacco control law by the National Parliament in 2012, in contradiction to the findings of studies conducted in western countries that concluded that voluntary agreements are ineffective tobacco control instruments.

Key words: Ghana, tobacco control law, interest groups, pro – tobacco groups, anti- tobacco group, developing countries, global advocacy network.