What began in August as a focused food justice bootcamp to strengthen youth organising for healthy food environments has further confirmed the depth of CAPPA’s long-term investment in building a new generation of policy-literate advocates.
Since 2023, CAPPA has deliberately cultivated a national pipeline of youth equipped not just to participate in governance spaces, but to intervene in them with evidence, strategy, and political clarity. The result is CAPPA’s Youth Vanguard, a growing a network of over 150 advocates and volunteers across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
The period following the bootcamp has shown that the Vanguard has moved beyond mobilisation and awareness-raising. It has entered a new phase defined by institutional access and measurable influence. Across multiple states, young advocates continue to engage religious authorities, university faculties, secondary schools, public health agencies, and government ministries, applying the advocacy tools, policy framing techniques, and communication strategies refined through CAPPA’s capacity-building work. The significance lies not only in the volume of engagements, but in the kinds of institutions now opening their doors to youth-led food policy interventions.
In Kaduna State, this sophistication was visible when the Vanguard secured an advocacy meeting on 29 September with the Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan Diocese, Most Rev Dr Julius Yakubu Kundi. The team presented the public health case for a sugar-sweetened beverage tax as both a fiscal and preventive measure and secured the Diocese’s commitment to circulate campaign materials through its internal structures. Ten days later, the same team conducted a sensitisation session with 260 students and staff at St Charles Borromeo Minor Seminary in Madakiya. The school administration responded by signalling interest in adopting a rule that would restrict the sale and consumption of sugary drinks during visiting days and school events. This development is a big win that demonstrates how youth-led advocacy is shaping positive institutional decisions.
Photos from the school outreach
The team with the Chief Imam
In Osun State, the Vanguard demonstrated the same ability to work across different public institutions. The team met with the Chief Imam of Osogbo, Sheikh Rabiu Musa Animasahun, who endorsed the campaign and authorised direct engagement with worshippers at the central mosque. On 17 October, the Vanguard conducted a sensitisation exercise combined with free health screening. More than 100 worshippers participated, and over 60 received blood pressure and blood sugar checks in partnership with the Benson Adeyemi Foundation. The Imam subsequently shared the campaign message with other mosque leaders in the city and pledged to provide further platforms for engagement, extending the impact beyond a single activity.
Photos from the engagement and during the one-on-one interaction with the congregants
The team during the engagement
A few days later, the same Osun wing of the Vanguard visited the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences at Adeleke University to advance its campaign for healthy food policies and nutritious dietary habits. The team received firm support from the Dean of the Faculty and the Head of the Department of Physiology, who acknowledged the alignment between the Vanguard’s goals and the university’s health sciences agenda. A twenty-minute sensitisation session with 186 nursing students focused on the rising incidence of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Nigeria and the role of young health professionals in community-level advocacy.
The team addressing the students
In Rivers State, the Vanguard demonstrated a complete advocacy sequence that linked school outreach, agency-level engagement, and government follow-up. On 21 October, the team sensitised two hundred students at Community Secondary School in Eliozu, Port Harcourt, and supplied the school library with CAPPA policy resources. On 23 October, the team met with Dr Vetty Agala, Executive Secretary of the Rivers State Health Insurance Scheme. The meeting formed part of the Vanguard’s ongoing engagement with key stakeholders to advance public health through healthy food policies and preventive education. The team presented its advocacy priorities within CAPPA’s framework, including the SSB tax, front-of-pack nutrition labelling, and salt reduction strategies, all aimed at reducing the burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases and improving the food environment.
Dr Agala welcomed the team and commended the Vanguard’s proactive youth-led approach. She affirmed the agency’s commitment to preventive healthcare and equitable access to quality health services in the state. She expressed interest in collaborating with the Vanguard on public health education campaigns and invited them to feature on the agency’s radio programmes. She also proposed a World Diabetes Day appearance on 14 November 2025 to deepen public awareness of the link between excessive sugar intake and diabetes. She further indicated interest in formalising a long-term partnership to support health education for young people and underserved communities, emphasising the importance of sustained collaboration between government and civil society.
During this same period, the Vanguard also hosted a World Food Day X-Space discussion titled Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.
The outcomes of this organised wave of youth-led policy engagement reinforce CAPPA’s commitment to deepening the capacity and institutional influence of its youth network. The organisation remains fully invested in supporting these young advocates as they evolve into credible public interest actors able to transform policy spaces from within.
