The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) on Wednesday trained some selected journalists in Abuja on their critical role towards crashing increasing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and its fatality among Nigerians and other residents in the country.
At the one day training termed "Journalism Training on Salt Reduction, Nutrient Profile Models (NPM) and Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) in Nigeria" had presentations made by stakeholders highlighting the danger of the trend and what the government is doing to stop the ugly situation.
The Federal Government, which was represented at the training by Femi Stephen, Food Safety Technical Lead at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, while making presentation, disclosed Nigeria’s plans to reduce sodium consumption by 30 per cent by the year 2030.
Stressing that excessive salt intake is increasing cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions in the country, he said, the situation in turn is reducing productivity and increasing healthcare costs.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s average daily sodium intake currently stands at about 3.9 grams—nearly double the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 2 grams per day.
He said “That means Nigerians are consuming almost twice the safe level of sodium, largely driven by processed foods and dietary habits,”
The newly developed National Sodium Reduction Guidelines, he said, is part of a broader national food safety and quality policy aimed at addressing both food safety and nutritional risks.
He explained that under the guidelines, the government plans to progressively reduce sodium levels across key food categories, with an initial target of at least a 15 per cent reduction in high-salt products by 2027 and another 15 per cent reduction by 2029.
He listed commonly consumed items such as bread, seasoning cubes, snacks, and processed foods as major contributors to excessive sodium intake in Nigeria.
“Our bread is significantly higher in salt compared to global benchmarks, and seasoning cubes contain extremely high sodium levels. These are everyday items consumed multiple times daily,”
The government, according to him, is introducing multiple interventions to address the trend, including setting sodium benchmarks for different food categories, promoting product reformulation by manufacturers, and deploying nutrient profile models to help consumers identify high-salt products.
Front-of-pack labelling, he said, would play a key role in simplifying nutritional information, enabling consumers to make healthier choices without needing technical knowledge.
Harping on the importance of public awareness campaigns, he said that behavioural change is critical to achieving the reduction targets.
“We are engaging schools, media platforms, and public institutions to drive awareness. Government facilities will also be encouraged to serve healthier, lower-sodium meals,” he said.
He charged the food industry to take responsibility by reformulating products, while urging consumers to demand healthier options.
“Industry responds to demand. If consumers reject high-salt products, manufacturers will adjust accordingly,” he added.
The Ministry, he said, is also working with regulatory agencies to develop enforceable standards and ensure compliance, alongside ongoing monitoring of sodium levels in the population.
Stephen urged journalists to play an active role in humanising the health risks associated with excessive salt consumption, stressing that many Nigerian families are already affected by hypertension and related illnesses.
“Behind the statistics are real people—family members and friends. We must tell these stories to drive change,” he said.
Speaking at the training, CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, also expressed concerns over increasing cases of non-communicable diseases in the country.
He linked the trend mainly to excessive salt consumption driven by processed foods in the country.
According to him, Nigerians consume nearly double the World Health Organization recommended daily salt intake, thereby increasing risks of hypertension and other illnesses.
The need for stronger policies such as sodium reduction guidelines, nutrient profiling, and front-of-pack warning labels, he said, is of great essence.
He urged journalists to play a critical role in exposing industry influence, raising public awareness, and driving accountability in Nigeria’s food system.
He said "Across Nigeria, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become an urgent public health crisis, accounting for about 29 percent of all annual deaths. The most prevalent of these conditions include cardiovascular diseases (especially hypertension), cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
"Hypertension, for instance, now affects roughly 30 percent of all adults in the country, and, according to the 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report, remains a major concern.
"One of the leading risk factors for NCDs is excessive salt intake, which is often found in prepackaged and ultra-processed foods. These unhealthy products are aggressively marketed, including to children, by powerful food corporations whose motive is profit, no matter the cost to our health.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a maximum daily intake of salt of 5 grams. But the latest data shows that Nigerians consume up to 10 grams daily. This overconsumption is largely hidden in everyday items such as seasoning cubes, instant noodles, snacks, bread, sauces, and drinks. These products are often marketed as convenient and modern, yet their nutritional realities are either unclear, hidden, or entirely absent." he stated
According to him, there is clearly a case for policy intervention to stem the tide and protect Nigerians.
He expressed CAPPA’s appreciation to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOH&SW), Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), Resolve to Save Lives, and the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI) for joining in the effort.
Other presentations at the training workshop included Unhealthy Diets and the Burden of Non-communicable disease in Nigeria by Dr. Joseph Ekiyor, Salt Target, Front-of-pack labelling as policy tools for combating NCDs burden by Bukola Olukemi Odele.