World Health Day: CAPPA Urges Bold Action On Health Funding, Food Policy
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
As the world marks World Health Day 2025, experts are warning that Nigeria’s public health future hangs in the balance if urgent steps are not taken to prioritise funding and healthy food systems.
This year’s theme, “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” centers on the health of mothers and children; seen globally as the cornerstone of a nation’s well-being.
But in Nigeria, a disturbing reality is playing out: widespread malnutrition, rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs), poor health infrastructure, and the growing influence of the ultra-processed food industry.
A Civil Society Organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) while raising the alarm, urged federal and state governments to scale up healthcare investments and aggressively implement healthy food policies to combat what it calls “a worsening public health crisis.”
“Every day, many Nigerian parents, misled by aggressive marketing, make food choices that harm their children,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director.
He cited the surge in high-fat, salt, and sugar products (HFSS) and the nation’s growing NCD burden including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension as evidence of a food system under siege.
CAPPA however, commended Nigeria’s recent sodium reduction guidelines, but stressed that much more is needed.
The group is calling on NAFDAC to enforce sodium limits in processed foods and urging the government to raise the sugar-sweetened beverage tax from N10 to at least N130 per liter.
Nigeria’s 2025 health budget which is just 5.18% of the national allocation also came under fire, falling far below global and continental benchmarks.
CAPPA is pushing for at least 15% in line with the Abuja Declaration.
The group also spotlighted tobacco as a key public health threat, advocating for a significant boost in the Tobacco Control Fund from N13 million to N300 million, to enable enforcement of existing laws.
With Nigeria lagging behind in achieving global health targets, CAPPA warns the time for half-measures is over.
“By boldly implementing healthy food policies and increasing healthcare investments, Nigeria can reverse course and offer its citizens a real shot at a healthier, more hopeful future,” the organisation noted.
