Funmi Adeoye
As the world marks World Health Day, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on all levels of government in Nigeria to prioritize healthcare funding and implement robust food policies aimed at curbing the spread of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
This year’s theme, “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” focuses on the well-being of mothers and babies. CAPPA emphasized that this is an opportunity for the Nigerian government to strengthen the country’s food systems to ensure access to nutritious meals and reduce reliance on unhealthy diets aggressively marketed by the sugary drinks and ultra-processed food industries.
In a statement by its Media and Communication Officer, Mr. Robert Egbe, CAPPA highlighted that Nigeria continues to battle poor health indicators, including rising cases of malnutrition, maternal mortality, and diet-related NCDs such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
The organization criticized the beverage industry for promoting excessive consumption of nutrient-deficient, calorie-heavy products that burden the healthcare system and contribute to Nigeria’s worsening health crisis.
To address the growing health risks, CAPPA urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to expedite regulatory frameworks to enforce sodium reduction targets in processed and packaged foods.
Additionally, CAPPA advocated for higher taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), supporting the World Health Organization’s recommendation to raise retail prices by at least 20% as a strategy to reduce consumption and improve public health outcomes.
Specifically, the NGO called on the Nigerian government to increase the current excise duty on non-alcoholic, carbonated, and sweetened beverages from N10 per liter to at least N130 per liter, arguing that the current rate is insufficient to curb consumption or drive meaningful health improvements.
The group also linked rising cases of debilitating NCDs to tobacco use and urged the government to allocate more funding to the Tobacco Control Fund as part of a broader healthy living strategy.
CAPPA’s statement is a reminder that addressing diet and lifestyle-related diseases must go hand in hand with strong policy enforcement and increased public investment in health.