As the world marks World Health Day (WHD), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has renewed its call on the Nigerian government to demonstrate stronger commitment to public health by prioritising adequate healthcare funding and implementing robust healthy food policies to safeguard Nigerians from diet-related health risks.
This year’s WHD, themed “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures”, highlights the critical importance of maternal and child health as the foundation for building healthy families and communities. In line with this, CAPPA stressed that the day offers a timely opportunity for the Nigerian government to evaluate and strengthen its food systems, ensuring that citizens—especially children—have access to nutritious diets essential for long-term wellbeing.
In a statement to commemorate the occasion, CAPPA cited alarming health statistics that paint a grim picture of Nigeria’s current healthcare landscape. The organisation pointed to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), persistent malnutrition, a resurgence of infectious diseases, and high maternal mortality rates—all among the worst globally.
“Every day, many parents misled by the ultra-processed food industry inadvertently make food choices high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) that harm their children’s health,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA. “This industry aggressively promotes the excessive consumption of nutrient-poor, calorie-dense products—disguised as food—thus exacerbating Nigeria’s already troubling prevalence of non-communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular conditions, and placing additional strain on the country’s healthcare system.”
Oluwafemi also expressed concern over the compounding challenges posed by the ongoing brain drain of healthcare professionals and the deteriorating state of health infrastructure, which he said are worsened by inadequate funding. “All of these are further compounded by the alarming exodus of healthcare professionals, and poor state of health infrastructure in the country, largely because of poor funding of the sector,” he added.
The group acknowledged that while the federal government’s 2025 budget earmarked N2.48 trillion—5.18 percent of the total N47.9 trillion national budget—for the health sector, the allocation still falls well below both the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended benchmark of 13 percent and the African Union’s Abuja Declaration target of 15 percent.
The Abuja Declaration, adopted in 2001, obliges member states to allocate at least 15 percent of their national budgets to health.
Despite the shortfall, CAPPA commended the federal government for launching the National Guideline for Sodium Reduction in March 2025. The guideline, introduced in collaboration with local and international partners including Resolve to Save Lives, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), and CAPPA, is designed to reduce salt consumption and tackle rising cases of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
CAPPA urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to act swiftly by formulating enforceable regulations that will mandate sodium reduction targets in processed and packaged foods.
The organisation also raised concerns over the health risks posed by the unchecked consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs), urging the federal government to adopt the WHO recommendation of increasing SSB taxes to raise retail prices by at least 20 percent—a proven measure to curb consumption and improve public health outcomes.
Specifically, CAPPA called on the government to increase Nigeria’s current excise duty of N10 per litre on sweetened beverages to at least N130 per litre. “Such an adjustment,” the group said, “is essential to achieving the intended health benefits of the policy”.
In addition, CAPPA highlighted the escalating toll of tobacco-related diseases and called for stronger support for tobacco control efforts through improved funding. “Tobacco use is public health’s number one enemy responsible for millions of preventable deaths worldwide, including that of thousands of Nigerians yearly,” said Oluwafemi. “While we applaud the government for increasing the allocation to the Tobacco Control Fund (TCF) to ₦13 million in this year’s budget, we insist that ₦13 million remains grossly insufficient compared to the level of funding required for the effective implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) 2015 and protection of Nigerians from the multifaceted harms of tobacco use.”
CAPPA recommended increasing the TCF allocation to a minimum of ₦300 million to support awareness campaigns, enforcement, and regulatory oversight.
“As things stand, Nigeria is off track to meet global survival targets by 2030,” the statement concluded. “But by implementing healthy food policies and investing meaningfully in the health sector, the country stands a chance of giving its people hope for a better future.”
Source: TheSun NG
