https://clubofmozambique.com/; 5 July 2024
Mozambique’s National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) has announced that it will now be forbidden to advertise alcoholic drinks near public institutions, especially schools and health units, as well as on television stations at inappropriate times.
According to Mabutana, this measure aims to stop advertising alcoholic drinks to minors, claiming that there has been a recent upsurge in the consumption of alcohol by children (even though the sale of alcoholic drinks to anyone under the age of 18 is illegal).
“Enforcement activities began on 26 June, throughout the country”, said Mabutana. “Advertising should not be available anywhere, especially to minors.” She added that tobacco advertising will now be entirely banned. As a result, INAE will suspend advertising for tobacco products on billboards, and in the media.
Advertisers of alcoholic drinks must leave a minimum distance of 500 meters between their billboards and public institutions such as schools, hospitals, hotels and police stations. The measure, Mabutana said, is the result of the implementation of a decree, which approves the advertising code.
“We had a pilot project that started in Maputo City, where all the advertising on the seafront, in the Costa do Sol area, was removed”, she added. “Since then we have resumed the activity in a more comprehensive way due to the proliferation of alcoholic beverage billboards in the vicinity of inappropriate places”.
However, she made it clear that advertising alcoholic drinks is not forbidden, as long as all the requirements laid down in the law are met, unlike tobacco products, for which all advertising is completely forbidden. She said that the removal of the billboards has been gradual, due to the resistance of some economic agents, but offenders are subject to an administrative process that can culminate in a fine. “It is unacceptable for alcoholic drinks to be advertised on buses, particularly in Maputo city”, Mabutana stressed.