BAT bets big on nicotine after getting regulatory clearance

The British American Tobacco (BAT) Kenya Industrial Area plant in Nairobi. 

Photo credit: Pool

BAT Kenya is betting that nicotine pouches will account for up to a fifth of its annual sales, riding on regulatory changes that paved the way for the cigarette manufacturer to launch the smokeless tobacco products in June 2025.

BAT Kenya CEO Sidney Wafula said the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed cigarette manufacturer expects modern oral nicotine pouches to account for between 15 percent and 20 percent of annual sales in the medium term as it pivots from traditional combustible cigarettes to smoke-free nicotine products.

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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.