Nairobi, July 29 -- 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.

He noted that nicotine pouches currently account for one percent of the manufacturer's total revenue because they remain a "small, nascent" category.

"But there are plans to grow it," said Waful...