Abuja: On Wednesday, the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), a Non-Governmental Organisation based in Abuja, educated media professionals on advancing Nigeria’s healthy food policy agenda.
NHED organised a strategic media roundtable in collaboration with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), the Healthy Food Advocacy Coalition, and other key partners.
The meeting theme is “Empowering Media to Advance Sodium Reduction and Front-of-Pack Labelling for a Healthier Nigeria.”
Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, Country Director of NHED, stated that the event aimed to explore how storytelling and public-interest journalism could build momentum for food system reforms in Nigeria.
According to him, the country faces an alarming burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke, with excessive salt consumption being a major contributor.
“Research shows that many packaged and processed foods Nigerians consume far exceed safe sodium levels.
“At the same time, the absence of clear front-of-pack food labels hinders consumers from making informed dietary choices.
“Our food environment is flooded with invisible risks,” he said.
He stressed that the media must raise awareness and advocate for actionable solutions to protect public health.
Sokpo called on journalists to produce high-impact stories on nutrition, consumer rights, and corporate accountability in the food industry.
In her opening remarks, Joy Amafah, Country Coordinator of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, noted the shift in Nigerian dietary habits from traditional, healthier foods to processed and ultra-processed products (UPPs).
She said these were often low in nutrition and high in harmful components like salt, sugar, and trans fats.
She criticised the aggressive marketing and advertisement of the products, linking them to the rise in NCDs in Nigeria and across Africa.
Amafah called for stronger policy interventions, including Nutrition Profile Modelling (NPM), Front-of-Pack Warning Labels (FOPWL), and sodium reduction strategies.
“The media plays a critical role in creating the awareness needed to drive these policy changes,” she said.
Dr Joseph Ekio, a public health practitioner and global health researcher, warned that NCDs and poor diets rapidly worsened in Nigeria, affecting individuals, families, and the economy.
“The rising prevalence of NCDs is crippling our already strained healthcare system and worsening the country’s economic outlook,” Ekio said.
He stressed the need for immediate and multi-sectoral interventions.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, urged media practitioners to elevate food policy issues into mainstream discourse.
“Nutrition stories are not just lifestyle features; they are stories of justice, survival, and the right to health. The media must frame them as such,” he said.
Also speaking, Ms Oluwatoyin Adeomi, NHED Programme Officer, pledged continued support for journalists, including access to data, expert interviews, and technical materials on sodium reduction and food labelling.
“This is the beginning of sustained media collaboration. The narrative on food must shift from what sells to what saves lives,” Adeomi said.
