Communique Issued at the End of a Two-Day National Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) Tax Coalition Technical Engagement held in Lagos State on 5th – 6th May 2025

Preamble:

Nigeria’s heavy burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) has been linked to the increasing consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs), and other unhealthy diets, such as processed and packaged foods. This rise is fueled by rapid urbanization, the westernization of local diets, and the widespread availability, low cost, and aggressive marketing of SSBs and other ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

The prevailing situation poses serious public health challenges for the government, the health sector, individuals, and families across the country. In response, the Nigerian government introduced a N10 Excise Tax on all non-alcoholic, sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages through the 2021 Finance Act, as a policy measure to curb SSB consumption and promote healthier lifestyles.

To strengthen policy efforts and deepen advocacy around the SSB tax, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), in collaboration with the National SSB Tax Coalition, and with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), convened a two-day forum in Lagos State on May 5^th and 6^th 2025. The meeting brought together coalition members to enhance collaboration, coordinate advocacy efforts, deploy resources for effective sensitization, and garner support from policymakers towards increasing the tax. With 30 members drawn from across the South West, South South, and the South East states, the coalition made the following observations and recommendations.

The coalition noted that:

1. The over consumption of SSBs in Nigeria is a public health concern linked to the rise in non-communicable diseases such as weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart and kidney diseases, and cancer.
2. Increasing consumption of SSBs in Nigeria is primarily due to the availability and affordability of SSBs, lack of affordable healthy alternatives, cultural and social norms that encourage the consumption of carbonated drinks, lack of public education on the dangers of SSBs, and the false marketing and advertising campaigns of the SSB industry.
3. The consumption of SSBs offers no nutritional value but rather constitutes a huge public health and economic burden for the country.
4. That the Nigeria tax of 10/litre on SSB falls short of The WHO’s minimum recommendation of 20 percent and recent Bloomberg’s 50 percent recommendation on SIN taxes.
5. An effective tax regime on SSB tax will improve public health, influence positive health-behavioural changes, and generate fiscal revenue for financing health systems in Nigeria.
6. That the Nigeria Customs Service and the Federal Government’s consistency in implementing the tax is laudable but must be accountable.

Recommendations

1. Government and policymakers should engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including civil society organizations, media institutions, and healthcare professionals, to create public awareness of the health risks associated with SSB consumption and the benefits of the SSBs tax policy.
2. Government should increase taxation on SSBs to cause a minimum of 20 percent increase of the retail price as recommended by the WHO, or raise the current tax from N10 to N130/litre, adjusted for inflation based on the simulation study  conducted in Nigeria.
3. The federal government should establish a monitoring and evaluation and accountability framework to track the implementation and impact of the current SSB tax policy.
4. Government should implement complementary regulatory instruments like Front-of-Pack Labelling, restricting availability and marketing, and expansion of the definition of SSBs in school environments, among others.
5. Coalition members to reinforce their support for government through community awareness, public sensitization, and policy advocacy.
6. The Federal Government and regulatory authorities must design and enforce penalties for companies that default on SSB tax obligations.
7. The public is reminded that SSB tax is not merely for raising revenue. Government should earmark revenue generated from the SSBs tax to support and strengthen public health systems in Nigeria.
8. Having studied the available evidence, both locally and internationally, the coalition affirms that an increase in the SSB tax will not lead to job losses, as claimed by the ultra-processed foods industry.
9. The public is encouraged to drastically limit their consumption of SSBs in the interest of their health and to explore the many wholly natural alternatives.
10. The coalition affirms the need for protection of the Nigerian food system from ultra-processed food products. Hence, the federal, state and local governments are called upon to urgently develop and implement comprehensive healthy food policies targeted at reducing the exposure of Nigerians to ultra-processed foods, excessive SSBs and salt consumption, all of which constitute high-risk factors driving the country’s alarming cancer burden and other NCDs.

Signatories:

Value Re-Orientation for Community Enhancement (VARCE)

Gold Heart Foundation

Christian Initiative for Nation Building

Disability Not A Barrier Initiative (DINABI Nigeria)

Beulah Worth Group

Elixir Trust Foundation

Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria

Institute of Church and Society

Nigerian Medical Association (Lagos Branch)

Brokline Foundation (BLF)

Bensther Development Foundation

Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON)

Nigeria Young Workers Network

Food Clique Initiative

Voice Against Rape and Sexual Harassment (VARSH) Foundation

Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC)

Education Rights Campaign

Citizenship Civic Awareness Centre

The Initiative for Equal Rights

Peace & Development Project

National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM)

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)