Determined to ramp up public awareness about the benefits of mandatory salt limits and enhance the capacity of media practitioners to actively contribute to reducing high salt consumption in Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) organised a one-day training session for journalists on April 4, 2024. Conducted with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, the training brought together 30 media practitioners from various platforms, including print, broadcast, and online media.
Delivering the opening remarks at the capacity-building event, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, decried the tendency of many Nigerians to consume too much salt. According to him, Nigeria’s daily salt intake currently exceeds the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended limit of 2 grams of sodium per day, or less than 5 grams of salt per day, equivalent to just one teaspoon of salt. Excessive consumption of salt has been linked to the increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. To this end, he urged media practitioners to take advantage of the training session to enhance their knowledge and optimally take on the role of advocating for transformational food policies and effectively educating the public about the adverse health effects of high salt intake.
Bukola Olukemi Odele, CAPPA’s Programme Officer, facilitated an overview of the salt reduction campaign, offering participants insights into its objectives and goals. She mentioned that the salt reduction campaign is a cost-effective public health intervention that adopts a multisectoral approach to tackle the burden of NCDs in the country. The salt reduction campaign in Nigeria also aligns with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) SHAKE strategy, which is a global initiative designed to guide countries in creating comprehensive salt reduction programs.
The SHAKE strategy offers a framework comprising five key components—Surveillance, Harnessing industry, Adopting standards, Knowledge, and Environmental approaches—to effectively reduce salt consumption at the population level. By adhering to this framework, the campaign aims to systematically lower salt intake across the nation, leveraging the SHAKE strategy’s proven methods for engaging stakeholders, promoting industry reformulation, increasing consumer awareness through targeted education and adequate food labelling, and fostering supportive environments for healthier dietary choices. Bukola also explained that the campaign’s goal aimed to achieve an implementation of mandatory salt targets in Nigeria by 2024 hence the efforts to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to achieve this.
The event featured several key presentations, including one from Dr. Jerome Mafeni of the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), who underscored the urgent need for policy intervention to regulate salt consumption. With an estimated 17.9 million people dying from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in 2019—accounting for 32% of all global deaths, and over three-quarters of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)—it is critical for governments to implement mandatory regulations.
Dr. Mafeni emphasised that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for CVDs, such as heart attacks and strokes. He noted that reducing salt intake to less than 5 grams per day (about one teaspoon) could save approximately 2.5 million lives annually. He highlighted factors contributing to high salt intake in Nigeria, including dietary habits, cultural preferences, processed and packaged foods, lack of awareness, and socioeconomic factors. The adverse effects of excessive salt consumption range from high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases to kidney damage, strokes, osteoporosis, gastric cancer, and a significant public health burden. Dr. Mafemi concluded his presentation by noting that effective policy interventions will mitigate the public health and economic burden of high salt intake within the population
Vanessa Alfa from the National Sodium Study (NaSS) at the University of Abuja delivered an enlightening presentation that highlighted concerning data on the elevated sodium content found in commonly consumed foods across Nigeria. This data starkly underscored the critical need for implementing stringent sodium limits to safeguard public health. To effectively tackle this issue, Alfa proposed several targeted strategies. She recommended setting specific sodium limits tailored to different food categories to ensure that sodium content is uniformly regulated across all types of consumables. Recognizing the power of public engagement, she advocated for comprehensive mass media campaigns aimed at raising awareness about the risks associated with high sodium intake. Additionally, she emphasized the importance of educational programs designed to teach the public how to accurately read and interpret nutritional information on food labels, empowering consumers to make healthier choices. Alfa also called for robust government leadership to enforce regulations on the food and beverage industry, ensuring adherence to national food standards.
Media advocacy strategies were a focal point of the event, with Akinbode Oluwafemi explaining how journalists could effectively use mass media to promote public health messages. Additionally, Robert Egbe, CAPPA’s Media and Communication Officer, offered tips on crafting compelling salt reduction stories that catch editors’ attention and captivate readers. He encouraged participants to invest in research-driven and humane stories that not only educate but also emotionally convey the impact of high salt consumption on public health.
A practical session on using digital media for advocacy, led by Abayomi Sarumi, showcased the immense potential of social media and digital platforms in driving the campaign’s message. With Nigeria’s high internet and social media usage, digital platforms represent a powerful tool to educate and mobilise public opinion on the importance of reducing salt intake. The training concluded with a reflective session, during which journalists appreciated CAPPA for the educative workshop and penned down their commitments to advancing the salt reduction agenda, emphasising personal and professional pledges to advocate for healthier food choices. Many journalists promised to work together with their spouses to reduce the use of too much salt and bouillon cubes in the preparation of household food.
