The law No 7151 on healthcare, amending some sections of the country’s 1996 tobacco control act (No 4207), was officially gazetted and entered into force on 5 December 2018. The amendments require the tobacco packs to be in uniform design, with specific requirements on brand typeface, font size, color and warning messages. The brand name can only be displayed on one side without any logo or symbol. Surface covered by pictorial and text health warnings will be increased from 65% to 85%.

The Parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on 5 February 2019, passed unanimously a new public health legislation on food and medicine administration. The new law covers tobacco products, and its relevant sections aim to protect the public from the devastating health, social, and economic consequences of tobacco products. The measures the law foresees to regulate tobacco products are considered among the strongest tobacco control legislations in Africa.

The Parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on 5 February 2019, passed unanimously a new public health legislation on food and medicine administration. The new law covers tobacco products, and its relevant sections aim to protect the public from the devastating health, social, and economic consequences of tobacco products. The measures the law foresees to regulate tobacco products are considered among the strongest tobacco control legislations in Africa.

On 24 January 2019, the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko issued Decree No. 2 to amend two previous decrees in 2002 and 2007, regulating the production, trade and consumption of tobacco products. The decree was officially published on 26 January 2019 and the main provisions will come into force six months after the official publication.