The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW), in partnership with the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), convened a one-day media training on salt reduction on July 15, 2025, at Newton Park and Resort Hotel, Abuja.
The engagement is part of Nigeria’s broader effort to reduce population-level sodium intake and address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The training targeted journalists and media professionals across print, radio, and television with the objective of improving reporting on dietary risk factors—particularly excessive sodium consumption. It also provided a platform to disseminate findings from recent national salt surveys and communicate current government-led sodium reduction strategies.
The event was moderated by Sa’adatu Yakubu of CCSI and featured presentations and goodwill messages from stakeholders across civil society, academia, and public institutions. These included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), and the University of Abuja Sodium Research Team.
Bukola Olukemi-Odele, Programme Lead for Cardiovascular Health at CAPPA, described excessive sodium consumption as a “silent threat” driving the rising incidence of hypertension, stroke, and heart-related illnesses in Nigeria. She highlighted that the average Nigerian consumes more than double the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily salt intake of 2,000 mg.
According to Olukemi-Odele, reducing sodium intake by just 30 percent annually could prevent an estimated 1.6 million deaths. She called for stronger food labelling laws, front-of-pack warnings, and stricter oversight of industry formulation practices.
Dr. Adebayo Ojo, a biostatistician and lead on the University of Abuja’s sodium research project, presented data from the Nigeria Salt Survey conducted in Kano, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory. The survey found limited public awareness of hidden sodium sources in processed foods and low engagement with nutrition labels. Dr. Ojo noted that most Nigerians do not read food labels, and many are unable to interpret them correctly. He emphasised that this knowledge gap severely limits consumers’ ability to make informed dietary choices.
The Federal Ministry of Health, through its Food and Safety Officer, Femi Stephen, reaffirmed its commitment to sodium reduction as part of its broader NCD prevention strategy. He noted ongoing collaborations with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and food industry stakeholders to implement the National Sodium Reduction Guidelines. These efforts include promoting product reformulation to lower salt content, introducing mandatory nutrition labelling, and strengthening regulatory frameworks.
A session on media and policy advocacy, led by a professional named Michael Ijegwa, focused on the critical role of the media in shaping public opinion and advancing national health reforms. Ijegwa urged journalists to move beyond episodic reporting and adopt sustained framing of salt reduction as a matter of public interest. He underscored the need for evidence-based journalism that holds both policymakers and industry actors accountable.
Anna White-Agbo of CCSI facilitated a practical workshop on health communication strategies, using case studies to illustrate effective media campaigns on dietary risk factors. The session equipped journalists with the tools to translate complex scientific messages into accessible narratives capable of shifting public attitudes and policy decisions. The training closed with a shared commitment by all stakeholders to scale up public education, ensure accountability in sodium-related policies, and support media practitioners in their role as public health advocates.
