Timeline and overview of tobacco control legislations (including tax policies) in Ethiopia
| Year | Proclamation(s) | Policies and main contents |
| Pre 2014 | Proclamation 30/1942 | Tobacco Regie Proclamation was enacted in 1942 to monopolise the preparation, manufacture, importation, distribution and export of tobacco products |
| Proclamation 197/1980, Proclamation 181/1999 | The National Tobacco and Matches Corporation was established and mandated to exclusively grow and process tobacco in Ethiopia, later transferred to the National Tobacco Enterprise share Company. | |
| Proclamation 661/2009, Regulation 299/2013 Proclamation 759/2012 | Food, Medicine and Healthcare Authority of Ethiopia (now Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA)) was authorised to regulate tobacco products, and in 2012, EFDA prohibited advertisement and promotion of cigarette or other tobacco products. | |
| Excise Tax Proclamation No. 307/2002 | The government’s excise tax proclamation taxed ‘luxury and basic goods which are demand inelastic’ based on the production cost of products (as opposed to ex-factory price). | |
| 2014–2018 | Proclamation 822/2014 | Ethiopia ratified the WHO FCTC, and Food, Medicine and authorised the Healthcare Authority of Ethiopia to take all necessary steps for its implementation. |
| NTCD 28/2015 | The Food, Medicine and Healthcare Authority of Ethiopia issued the National Tobacco Control Directive No 28/2015 (NTCD) in accordance with Article 4 of the FCTC. The first draft of the National Tobacco Control Strategic Plan was prepared in 2017 under the direction of the authority. | |
| 2018 – present | EFDA Proclamation No.1112/2019 | Ethiopia’s parliament unanimously approved the EFDA bill, which requires, among other things, levying a tax on tobacco products consistent with the WHO FCTC recommendation. |
| Excise Tax Proclamation No. 1186/2020 | The Federal Parliament approved a new Excise Tax repealing Excise Tax Proclamation No. 307/2002 and its amendments. (‘Repealed Proclamation’). Drafted by the Ministry of Finance, the New Proclamation introduces new concepts and excise tax rates including a 30% tax rate of the cost of producing cigarettes, in addition to a specific excise rate of 8 Ethiopian Birr on each individual packet. |
WHO FCTC, WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.