A bill, which has stringent rules on the use, sale, advertisement and retail of tobacco and alcohol, has reached the final stages of legislation in parliament.

Drafted by a joint force of the Food & Drug Administration Authority, Ministry of Health, World Bank and World Health Organisation, the bill was submitted to parliament last week.

The proclamation was drafted in a bid to save the public from the health hazards of unsafe food, medicine and substance use, packaging and distribution, as well as to install a regulatory framework for the ever-expanding industry, according to Dagim Alemayehu, legal adviser for the Authority.

The proclamation, which was drafted over the last three years, brought new regulations to the distribution, use and advertising of alcoholic drinks, tobacco and drugs.

The proclamation states that tobacco products are to have rotating warning messages to be displayed on no less than 70pc of the packaging. It also prohibits any form of tobacco advertising on the packages.

The proclamation prohibits individuals from selling tobacco products to underage people, and it can only be sold in packages.

“The aim of the proclamation is to discourage the industry and protect public health,” said Dagim.

A report released two years ago by Global Adults Tobacco Survey states that 3.4 million adults currently use tobacco in Ethiopia.

Beside the new rules on tobacco, the proclamation brought a new standards on labelling alcoholic drinks.

Alcoholic drinks will be required to post warnings stating that consuming alcohol has health hazards, once the proclamation is ratified. The proclamation also restricts advertisement of alcoholic drinks by time and place.

Any drinks with more than 10pc of alcoholic content are prohibited from promoting the product in public spaces, events and holidays, can advertise from late at night until the morning.

“The purpose of these articles is to protect consumers from alcoholic drinks,” Dagim told Fortune.

Manufacturers of beer argue that these proclamations affect their business and the chain.

“These proclamations affect the beer market, which indirectly affects the farmers, suppliers and distributors,” said Yayehyirad Abate, corporate relations director of Meta Abo Breweries, a beer manufacturer established in 1967 and now owned by Diageo. Diageo operates in 180 markets globally and produces 1.7 million hectolitres of beer per year in Ethiopia.