A chart showing some of the Non communicable disease.photo courtest AI
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer now account for more than 70% of all global deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
However, many of these conditions, which are often preventable, continue to rise sharply in low- and middle-income countries, including across Africa, where health systems are already under strain.
Recognizing the devastating toll of NCDs, Bloomberg Philanthropies has made one of the world’s largest philanthropic commitments to prevention.
Since 2007, it has invested over $1.7 billion in efforts to reduce the global burden of NCDs, focusing on four of the most critical risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use.
“Our work has helped enact 100 public health laws and policies that have saved an estimated 3.9 million lives,” the Bloomberg Philanthropies Annual Report 2024–2025 states (p. 21).
From pushing back against tobacco advertising to advocating for sugar taxes, Bloomberg’s global strategy centers on evidence-based policies that create healthier environments.
In the process, it has helped shape health reform across dozens of countries, including several in Africa.
A Policy-First Approach to Saving Lives
Bloomberg Philanthropies takes a prevention-first approach, emphasizing the need for policy change rather than focusing solely on clinical care.
Its investments have supported national governments, city leaders, civil society groups, and multilateral agencies to enact regulations that reduce exposure to NCD risk factors.
Key pillars of Bloomberg’s strategy include:
Tobacco control – Enforcing smoke-free laws, restricting advertising, and increasing tobacco taxes.
Trans fat elimination – Supporting bans on industrially produced trans fats, a known cause of heart disease.
Sugary drink reduction – Encouraging taxes and warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce obesity and diabetes.
Food labeling – Promoting front-of-package nutrition labels to help consumers make healthier choices.
Through partnerships with organizations like the World Health Organization, Vital Strategies, and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Bloomberg has scaled policy wins across more than 50 countries.
Tobacco Control in Africa: South Africa, Kenya, and Beyond
Tobacco use remains one of the deadliest preventable causes of death globally, killing more than 8 million people annually.
Bloomberg Philanthropies has been a leading funder of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, which works to advance tobacco control policies aligned with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
In South Africa, Bloomberg’s grantees have supported civil society and government efforts to update outdated tobacco legislation and implement plain packaging and stronger advertising restrictions.
Public health advocates, many of whom received support via Bloomberg-funded technical assistance, have successfully pushed for increased excise taxes and a new Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill.
Kenya has also been a beneficiary of tobacco control support.
The country was among the first in Africa to pass comprehensive tobacco control legislation, including graphic health warnings and smoking bans in public places.
Bloomberg’s partner organizations, such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, have provided legal and policy expertise to support enforcement.
According to the 2024–2025 Bloomberg report, global tobacco control investments have resulted in 64 national policies being enacted since 2007, many in low- and middle-income countries.
Trans Fat Bans: A Model for Public Health Legislation
Another significant front in the fight against NCDs is the elimination of industrially produced trans fats, which are strongly linked to heart disease and stroke.
Through its support to the REPLACE initiative led by the World Health Organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies has helped more than 50 countries pass or implement trans fat bans.
These regulations often require manufacturers to reformulate products to eliminate harmful oils.
In Africa, South Africa was one of the early adopters of a trans fat limit, regulating the maximum allowable content in food products.
Other countries, such as Nigeria and Egypt, have moved toward regulatory frameworks with technical support from Bloomberg-backed programs.
“We’ve supported countries in developing and enforcing policies that restrict trans fats, one of the most dangerous ingredients in the food supply,” Bloomberg Philanthropies notes in the report (p. 22).
This model of science-based policy change, combined with public education, has become a blueprint for similar reforms in other food safety areas.
Taking on Sugary Beverages: The Power of Taxes and Labels
In the face of rising obesity and diabetes rates, particularly among young people, Bloomberg Philanthropies has also prioritized policy action on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
Its strategy includes:
Advocating for SSB taxes, which have been shown to reduce consumption.
Supporting the adoption of front-of-package warning labels.
Funding public campaigns to counteract misleading marketing.
The Bloomberg report notes that such policies have already contributed to healthier beverage markets in countries like Mexico, South Africa, and Chile.
In South Africa, a national sugar tax enacted in 2018 has led to measurable reductions in consumption, with early studies showing that purchases of taxed drinks fell by over 50% among lower-income households.
These policy wins have attracted attention from other African nations.
Ghana, for instance, is actively exploring fiscal policies to curb SSB consumption, working with public health experts to design feasible and socially acceptable interventions.
Partnering for Progress: Data, Evidence, and Accountability
What makes Bloomberg’s approach distinctive is its insistence on data and evaluation.
Every policy supported is monitored through real-time impact data and independent research.
The foundation invests not only in passing legislation but also in building the tools to measure effectiveness and adapt implementation strategies as needed.
The report highlights how partnerships with institutions like the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Vital Strategies have strengthened the evidence base for NCD prevention and supported capacity-building in countries with limited technical infrastructure.
This model of fund-and-evaluate ensures that successes are documented, failures are learned from, and other countries have access to tested policy designs that can be scaled.
A Global Health Legacy — With Local Impact
Bloomberg’s NCD prevention work has had a tangible impact at both global and national levels.
According to the 2024–2025 Annual Report, these interventions have helped save nearly 4 million lives, a staggering figure that reflects both the scale and urgency of the crisis.
While much of the work is global, the relevance to Africa is increasing.
With rapid urbanization, rising consumption of processed foods, and limited access to preventive care, African countries face a looming NCD burden.
Bloomberg’s policy-first, prevention-based model offers governments and local funders a tested playbook for protecting population health through regulation and accountability.
As the global health community shifts focus from infectious disease to chronic conditions, Bloomberg’s investment in NCDs stands out not just for its size, but for its strategy: prevention, policy, and data first
