The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), a non-governmental organisation, has urged the Federal Government to impose a minimum of 20 percent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) as part of efforts to reduce the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.
The organisation described SSBs as major contributors to health crises such as diabetes, stroke, and hypertension, and called for revenue generated from such taxation to be earmarked for the development of the nation’s healthcare sector.
Director of CAPPA, Mr. Oluwafemi Akinbode, made the appeal at the opening ceremony of the five-day Youth Bootcamp for Food Justice held at Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort, Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Speaking on the theme: “Strategy and Organising: From Awareness to Action”, Akinbode urged the Federal Ministry of Health to intensify efforts towards enacting and enforcing stronger food and health policies in line with global best practices.
He further called for the enforcement of sodium reduction guidelines, mandatory front-of-pack food labeling, and public education on the dangers of excessive consumption of salt, sugar, and unhealthy oils, noting that such measures would help curb related health risks.
Highlighting the objectives of the bootcamp, Akinbode said the initiative aims to:
build the capacity of youth advocates to drive and sustain campaigns for healthy food policies,
strengthen youth leadership and networks for collective action,
monitor and counter food industry manipulation of young people through misleading social media campaigns, and
establish a continent-wide network of youth advocates pushing for healthy food policies across Africa.
“We are building pressure on the government to enact appropriate laws and regulations. Where such laws already exist, we are asking the government to enforce them,” Akinbode stated.
“For instance, the current sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) tax is pegged at ₦10 per liter, but our research shows this is grossly inadequate. In line with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and global standards, the tax should be raised to at least ₦130 per liter,” he added.
In his lecture titled “Movement Building, Youth Activism and the Quest for Healthy Food Policies in Nigeria”, Professor Adelaja Odukoya lamented the loss of food sovereignty, which he said has worsened the food system as communities no longer control what is produced, distributed, or consumed.
He expressed concern over the declining availability of nutritious food, noting that many Nigerians are forced to consume what is readily available rather than what is healthy or desirable.
Odukoya called on the government and citizens to embrace food justice by prioritizing local food production, reclaiming control of food systems, and ensuring that people’s health and wellbeing are placed above corporate profits.
