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Tag: cardiovascular diseases

  • Senate ratifies higher sugar tax, earmarks revenue for healthcare, insurance for vulnerable Nigerians

    Senate ratifies higher sugar tax, earmarks revenue for healthcare, insurance for vulnerable Nigerians

    On Wednesday, the Senate ratified a new excise duty regime for sugar-sweetened beverages, replacing the current N10-per-litre levy with a retail price-based tax system aimed at curbing excessive sugar consumption, combating non-communicable diseases and generating additional funding for healthcare services for vulnerable Nigerians.

    The decision was reached after due consideration and adoption of the report by the Joint Senate Committee on Finance and Customs, Excise and Tariff on the Customs, Excise Tariff, etc. (Amendment) Bill, presented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, representing Niger East Senatorial District.

    With this ratification, the current flat-rate excise duty on sugar-sweetened beverages will be replaced by a levy calculated as a percentage of the retail price, with the specific rate to be determined by the Minister of Finance in line with international best practices.

    The Senate also approved provisions directing that a portion of the revenue generated from the levy be dedicated to health promotion initiatives, disease prevention programmes, primary healthcare services and health insurance coverage for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

    Presenting the committee’s findings, Senator Musa said the existing N10-per-litre excise duty had been severely weakened by inflation and no longer served as an effective deterrent to excessive consumption of sugary drinks.

    “The current excise duty of N10 per litre on sugar-sweetened beverages has been significantly eroded by inflation and is too low to effectively discourage excessive consumption or generate substantial revenue,” the committee stated.

    The Senate noted that Nigeria is facing a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, many of which are linked to unhealthy diets and excessive sugar intake.

    According to the committee, NCDs account for a significant share of illness and deaths in the country, placing increasing pressure on the healthcare system and imposing heavy financial burdens on households.

    Lawmakers expressed concern that Nigeria’s healthcare system remains underfunded and largely dependent on out-of-pocket spending, a situation that limits access to essential healthcare services and exposes many citizens to financial hardship.

    The Senate argued that health-related excise taxes could simultaneously advance public health and fiscal objectives by discouraging the consumption of unhealthy products while generating additional government revenue.

    The committee observed that the current volume-based tax structure does not adequately reflect the sugar content of beverages and therefore provides little incentive for manufacturers to reduce sugar levels in their products.

    In November 2025, during the public hearing on the bill, several stakeholders who participated in advocated a retail-price-based levy, arguing that increasing the tax would provide a more sustainable and effective taxation framework than the current flat-rate system.

    Among organisations that made submissions during the hearing were the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance, Action for Women and Girls Initiative, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Health Sector Reform Coalition Nigeria, Christian Network for Nation Building, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, National Health Insurance Authority, Nigeria Immigration Service, Presidential Fiscal and Tax Reform Committee, Nigeria Cancer Society, Diabetes Association of Nigeria and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre.

    The committee cited evidence from countries such as South Africa, Mexico and the United Kingdom, where sugar-sweetened beverage taxes have contributed to reduced consumption and improved health outcomes.

    It also referenced recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicate that health-related taxes should increase retail prices by at least 20 per cent to significantly influence consumer behaviour and encourage healthier choices.

    The Senate further noted that data from the Nigeria Customs Service showed that the existing excise duty on sugar-sweetened beverages generated more than N108.6 billion between 2022 and September 2025, demonstrating the sector’s potential as a sustainable source of revenue.

    “The tax remains a viable source of government revenue and can be better leveraged to support public health priorities,” the committee observed.

    While public health advocates strongly supported tougher taxation measures, some industry stakeholders expressed concerns about the possible impact on production costs, consumer prices and employment levels.

    To address these concerns, lawmakers recommended that the Minister of Finance determine an appropriate percentage levy that balances public health objectives with economic realities and aligns with global standards.

    The Senate further recommended that excise taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages be strengthened as part of a broader national strategy to reduce excessive sugar consumption and prevent non-communicable diseases.

    Other recommendations adopted by the Red Chamber include exploring tax structures that better reflect sugar content or retail price, encouraging manufacturers to reformulate products and reduce sugar levels, strengthening the administration and enforcement of excise duty collection, and maintaining continuous engagement with industry operators and public health institutions during implementation.

    The lawmakers also stressed that health should become a direct beneficiary of excise revenues derived from products associated with health risks.

    According to the report, part of the proceeds from the levy should be channelled towards preventive healthcare programmes, management of non-communicable diseases, expansion of health insurance coverage for vulnerable Nigerians and the strengthening of primary healthcare facilities across the country.

    The Senate further urged government to complement the tax reforms with nutrition awareness campaigns, improved food labelling standards and responsible marketing practices to ensure that fiscal measures are supported by broader public health interventions.

    Lawmakers expressed optimism that the reforms would not only improve public health outcomes but also reduce the long-term economic burden imposed by non-communicable diseases on families and the nation’s healthcare system.

    With the adoption of the report, the Senate has effectively endorsed a significant shift in Nigeria’s excise tax policy, positioning sugar taxation as a key tool for both public health promotion and sustainable healthcare financing.

  • CPPE Warns Against Additional Sugar Tax, Cites Grave Risks to Nigeria’s Manufacturing Sector and Economic Recovery

    CPPE Warns Against Additional Sugar Tax, Cites Grave Risks to Nigeria’s Manufacturing Sector and Economic Recovery

    The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has expressed serious concern over renewed calls in some quarters for the imposition of additional taxes on sugar-sweetened non-alcoholic beverages in Nigeria, warning that such a policy would be economically damaging, poorly targeted, and misaligned with the country’s current realities.

    CPPE acknowledges that public health challenges such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases require urgent and sustained attention. However, the organisation maintains that the introduction of a sugar-specific tax is a misplaced response that carries significant economic risks while offering limited public health benefits. The proposal, CPPE notes, is weakly supported by empirical evidence and fails to adequately reflect Nigeria’s prevailing structural, social, and macroeconomic conditions.

    According to the Chief Executive Officer of CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, advocacy for sugar taxation in Nigeria is largely driven by externally derived policy templates, particularly those promoted by global health institutions. While such approaches may appear attractive on paper, global best practice does not support sugar taxation as a sustainable or standalone solution to non-communicable diseases—especially in economies like Nigeria’s, which are characterised by high inflation, weak purchasing power, fragile industrial recovery, and widespread poverty.

    The organisation emphasised that Nigeria’s food and beverage industry remains the largest and most dynamic segment of the manufacturing sector, with the non-alcoholic beverages sub-sector playing a particularly significant role. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that the food and beverage industry contributes approximately 40 per cent of total manufacturing output, making it a critical driver of industrial growth, employment, and value creation.

    Beyond factory operations, the sector supports an extensive value chain that includes farmers, agro-input suppliers, processors, packaging companies, logistics providers, wholesalers, retailers, and the hospitality industry. Collectively, these interconnected activities sustain millions of livelihoods across the country. CPPE warned that any policy that undermines this sector would have far-reaching consequences, including job losses, declining household incomes, reduced investment, and setbacks to poverty-reduction efforts.

    CPPE further noted that manufacturers of non-alcoholic beverages are already among the most heavily taxed and cost-pressured businesses in the Nigerian economy. Existing fiscal obligations include a 30 per cent Company Income Tax, 7.5 per cent Value-Added Tax, a ₦10 per litre excise duty, a 4 per cent National Development Levy on assessable profits, a 4 per cent FOB levy on imported inputs, import duties of between 5 and 15 per cent on intermediate raw materials, a 0.5 per cent ECOWAS levy, property taxes at sub-national levels, as well as multiple state and local government levies.

    These fiscal burdens are further compounded by Nigeria’s challenging operating environment, including high energy costs, prohibitive logistics expenses, exchange-rate volatility, and elevated interest rates. The cumulative effect has been rising production costs, shrinking profit margins, subdued investment appetite, and higher consumer prices. CPPE highlighted that retail prices of many non-alcoholic beverages have already increased by approximately 50 per cent over the past two years, significantly eroding affordability even without the introduction of any new taxes.

    From a public health perspective, CPPE argued that available evidence suggests sugar taxes deliver limited benefits unless they are embedded within broader, long-term lifestyle, behavioural, and structural interventions. In Nigeria, the rising incidence of diabetes and related non-communicable diseases is driven primarily by poor overall diet quality—particularly carbohydrate-heavy meals—physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles, urban designs that discourage walking and cycling, as well as genetic and hereditary factors.

    While taxation may marginally influence consumption patterns, CPPE stressed that it does not address these root causes. In contrast, the economic costs of additional taxation—higher consumer prices, reduced demand, job losses, and weakened industrial investment—are immediate, tangible, and potentially severe.

    The Centre therefore urged policymakers to adopt more sustainable, evidence-based, and development-friendly approaches to improving public health outcomes. These include intensified lifestyle and nutrition education, community-based health awareness programmes, promotion of physical activity and exercise, encouragement of fruit and vegetable consumption, the use of healthy food subsidies rather than punitive taxation, and urban planning that supports walking, cycling, and other forms of active transportation.

    According to CPPE, such measures directly address the underlying drivers of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, deliver broader social benefits, and avoid undermining a critical pillar of Nigeria’s manufacturing and employment base.

    In conclusion, CPPE cautioned that Nigeria’s economy remains in a delicate recovery phase, and introducing additional sugar-specific taxes at this time risks reversing recent industrial gains, weakening employment outcomes, and undermining the objectives of ongoing manufacturing-friendly fiscal reforms. The Centre reiterated that public health objectives and economic growth are not mutually exclusive, and called for balanced, holistic, and development-conscious policymaking rather than additional fiscal pressure on one of the most important segments of the manufacturing sector.

  • The Alternative Bank, Kanu Heart Foundation Unite to Save 600 Hearts

    The Alternative Bank, Kanu Heart Foundation Unite to Save 600 Hearts

    The Alternative Bank (AltBank), in partnership with the Kanu Heart Foundation (KHF), commemorated World Heart Day with a symbolic 5km walk in Lagos. The walk, which raised awareness on cardiovascular diseases, also marked the kickoff of KHF’s 25th anniversary campaign. Through the campaign, the partners will mobilise resources to fund open-heart surgeries for 600 beneficiaries.

    According to the World Heart Foundation, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the world’s leading cause of death, claiming more lives than cancer and chronic respiratory diseases combined. Globally, one in five people die early from CVD, and yet research shows that up to 80% of cases are preventable. Actions as simple as 30 minutes of daily exercise can help address most CVD risks, but worryingly, one in three adults is not moving enough.

    The Founder and Chairman of the Kanu Heart Foundation, football legend Kanu Nwankwo, MON, who himself successfully underwent open-heart surgery during his professional career, at the walk, called on Nigerians to prioritise heart health. He also urged the public to support the ‘₦600 for 600 Hearts’ campaign, which aims to make life-saving surgeries accessible to more people in need.

    As part of the activities, participants received free heart screenings, underscoring the importance of preventive care in tackling heart-related illnesses.

    Addressing participants at the walk in Lagos, Dr. Jekwu Ozoemene, Group Executive at The Alternative Bank, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to championing causes that impact lives directly:

    “The Alternative Bank is honoured to walk side by side with the Kanu Heart Foundation in its noble mission to give hope to hundreds of Nigerians who, otherwise, would not be able to access the care they need for a second chance at life. Supporting access to these open-heart surgeries is about restoring hope to families and communities. We are happy to be making a tangible difference.”

    World Heart Day, celebrated globally every September 29, is dedicated to raising awareness of cardiovascular disease, its risk factors, and preventive measures. From individuals and families to schools, communities, and governments, the call is the same: to make equitable heart health a priority and to drive meaningful change.

    Interested donors and supporters can visit the official social media pages of The Alternative Bank and the Kanu Heart Foundation for more details on how to contribute to the “₦600 for 600 Hearts” campaign and help save a life.

  • Codix Pharma expands into high-impact diagnostics with new Codix Bio Facility in Sagamu

    Codix Pharma expands into high-impact diagnostics with new Codix Bio Facility in Sagamu

    In a groundbreaking development for Nigeria’s healthcare sector, Codix Pharma Ltd has announced the imminent commissioning of Codix Bio Ltd, a state-of-the-art in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturing facility in Sagamu, Ogun State.

    This marks a major step toward reducing Africa’s reliance on imported rapid diagnostic test kits, over 90% of which are currently sourced from Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East.

    The facility, which will be the first of its scale in Nigeria and the second of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, is expected to commence operations in May 2025. Codix Bio will manufacture critical diagnostic tools including malaria, HIV, and hepatitis B and C test kits, positioning Nigeria as a regional leader in medical diagnostics manufacturing.

    Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos Chief Operating Officer of Codix Pharma, Mary Ogangwu said: “This is bigger than us. It is about what is possible for Africa.

    “For over two decades, Nigeria has imported these kits. Codix Bio is our answer to that dependency, a local solution to a continental problem.”

    Codix Pharma, founded in 2008, initially focused on pharmaceuticals, particularly for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, recognizing a more urgent gap in timely and accurate diagnosis, the company pivoted toward medical diagnostics. Codix Bio represents a culmination of years of strategic backward integration aimed at localizing medical device production.

    The new facility follows the successful launch of Colexa Biosensor in December 2023, the first factory for manufacturing blood glucose meters and strips in sub-Saharan Africa. Together, the two plants form a major component of Codix Pharma’s vision to become a leading health tech company in Africa by 2030.

    According to Ogangwu, Codix Bio has been developed with global quality benchmarks in mind. “We are committed to meeting WHO prequalification standards and US FDA regulations. Our focus is on quality, safety, and efficacy,” she said.

    Olanrewaju Balaja, General Manager of Plant Operations at Codix Bio Ltd, emphasized the factory’s adherence to international standards such as ISO 13485 and the WHO’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). “We are creating diagnostic kits that meet the same standards as those approved by the world’s top health regulators. This will allow us not just to serve Nigeria but to export to West Africa and beyond.”

    The factory has completed its design, construction, and utility installation phases, including clean-room environments and air filtration systems. The company is now in the final qualification and validation stages ahead of commissioning.

    This initiative aligns with broader government efforts to boost local pharmaceutical and medical device production. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, recently unveiled a national plan to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported healthcare products. Under this policy, local manufacturers are now exempt from tariffs on pharmaceutical equipment and supplies.

    Nigeria aims to increase local production of pharmaceuticals to 70% and IVDs to 30% by 2030. Codix Bio is expected to play a pivotal role in this transition, offering a reliable domestic alternative to imported diagnostics and helping reduce stockouts, diagnostic delays, and treatment errors.

    The establishment of Codix Bio also reflects the World Health Organization’s call for increased local production of health technologies, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The WHO’s Local Production Forum advocates for regional self-reliance in manufacturing to improve access, affordability, and global health security.

    “This is not just a facility, it’s a symbol of what is achievable when innovation meets the right intention. African problems can indeed have African solutions, said Ogangwu.

    With the support of regulators such as NAFDAC and the federal government’s health industrialization agenda, Codix Bio is poised to reshape the continent’s medical diagnostics landscape, starting from Nigeria.

  • Juggernaut of Overweight and Obesity is ‘Monumental Societal Failure’

    Juggernaut of Overweight and Obesity is ‘Monumental Societal Failure’

    More than half of all adults and a third of children and adolescents will be overweight or obese by 2050 unless urgent action is taken, according to the most comprehensive global analysis to date, published by The Lancet to coincide with World Obesity Day on Tuesday.

    This poses an “unparalleled threat of premature disease and death at local, national, and global levels”, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study BMI Collaborators.

    Overweight and obesity rates in adults (25 or older) and children and adolescents (5-24 years) have more than doubled between 1990 and 2021, affecting 2.1 billion adults (up from 731 million) and 493 million young people (from 198 million).
    “The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a profound tragedy and a monumental societal failure,” said lead author Professor Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in the US.

    In 2019, the estimated total costs associated with obesity, including both direct and indirect costs, ranged from $3·19 billion in low-income countries to $1·33 trillion in high-income countries. 

    Forecasts suggest that, by 2035, the obesity epidemic could lead to a 2·9% reduction in global gross domestic product, equating to a loss of $4 trillion.

    “Especially high levels have already been reached in Oceania and North Africa and the Middle East, with over 62% of adult males in Nauru, Cook Islands, and American Samoa, and over 71% of adult females in Tonga and Nauru living with obesity in 2021,” according to a media release from The Lancet.

    China, India, the US, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia and Egypt accounted for more than half of the global population living with overweight and obesity in 2021.

    The US had the highest rates of obesity among high-income countries, with around 42% of males and 46% of females affected by obesity in 2021.

     In Latin America, 15 of the 17 countries had a prevalence of obesity among females of more than 30%.

    However, the largest future increases are projected in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, driven by growing populations. 

    No country has curbed adult obesity

    No country to date has successfully curbed the rising rates of adult overweight and obesity

    Among males, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was above 87% in Nauru, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Cook Islands, and Kuwait. 

    In future, the highest levels for men are predicted in the United Arab Emirates and Nauru, where more than 80% of males are expected to have obesity in 2050.

    Estimated age-standardised prevalence of overweight and obesity among adult males aged 25 years and older,

    Among females, the prevalence has reached 88% and above in Tonga, Kuwait, Cook Islands, Nauru, and Samoa. In future, Tonga and Egypt are predicted to dominate with at least 87% of females being overweight or obese by 2050.

    Estimated age-standardised prevalence of overweight and obesity among female adults aged 25 years and older.

    “Obesity rates are skyrocketing across sub-Saharan Africa, with 522 million adults and more than 200 million young people expected to be living with overweight or obesity by 2050,” said co-author Awoke Temesgen, Associate Professor at IHME. 

    In Nigeria, the number of overweight and obese adults is projected to more than triple from 36.6 million in 2021 to 141 million in 2050.

    “Action is urgently needed to implement preventative initiatives such as policies on the marketing of unhealthy foods and planning to include facilities for exercise and playing fields in schools,” added Temesgen.

    Obesity trends in young people

    The study predicts a 121% rise in obesity among young people globally by 2050, with the total number of children and adolescents with obesity predicted to reach 360 million. 

    The most rapid increases in obesity in young are forecast for North Africa,  the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, where one-third of all the world’s children and adolescents with obesity (130 million) are expected to live in 2050. 

    The transition to obesity predominance (versus overweight) is also expected to be overwhelming for several Oceanic countries, including the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga where levels of obesity are expected to reach 60-70% by 2050, as well as for heavily populated countries such as Nigeria (18.1 million), India (26.4 million), Brazil (17.8 million),  China (35.2 million), and the US (22.1 million).

    The authors also note that more recent generations are gaining weight faster than previous ones and obesity is occurring earlier, increasing the risk of complications such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and multiple cancers occurring at younger ages. 

    “Our estimates identify children and adolescents in much of Europe and south Asia living with overweight who should be targeted with obesity prevention strategies,” said co-lead author Dr Jessica Kerr from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia. 

    “We have also identified large populations, particularly adolescent girls, in North America, Australasia, Oceania, North Africa and the Middle East, and Latin America that are expected to tip over to obesity predominance and require urgent, multifaceted intervention and treatment.”

    Action plans

    The authors stress that five-year action plans (2025-2030) are urgently required to curb the rise in obesity and help inform new goals and targets post-2030, when the Sustainable Development Goals end.

    “Preventing obesity must be at the forefront of policies in low- and middle-income countries,” said Kerr. 

    “Policy action in these regions must balance the challenges of overnutrition with undernutrition and stunting, with interventions ranging from support for nutritional diets and regulating ultra-processed foods to promoting maternal and child health programmes that encourage pregnant women to follow a healthy diet and breastfeed. 

    Kerr warned that many countries “only have a short window of opportunity to stop much greater numbers shifting from overweight to obesity”.

    She called for “much stronger political commitment” to “transform diets within sustainable global food systems and to support comprehensive strategies that improve people’s nutrition, physical activity and living environments, whether it’s too much processed food or not enough parks.”

  • LASUTH Wins Excellence in Cardiovascular Care Award of The Nigeria Cardiac Society

    LASUTH Wins Excellence in Cardiovascular Care Award of The Nigeria Cardiac Society

    The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) won the ‘Excellence in Cardiovascular Care’ Award at the 50th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of The Nigeria Cardiac Society (NCS) held in Lagos last week. This award was given on the premises the hospital is renowned for her contribution to the growth and development of Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery in the country.

    LASUTH is one of the two tertiary hospitals carrying out open-heart surgery in Nigeria. The hospital has continued to make giant strides in improving the lives of the citizens of Lagos State and environs. The soon to be quaternary hospital has over the years provided high-quality healthcare to Lagosians using state-of-the-art equipment and cutting edge technology to solve common and emerging health problems.

    LASUTH heart surgeons have performed some of the most advanced procedures in the medical field. The hospital has experienced professionals who specialize in open-heart surgeries that effectively treat heart conditions while minimizing patient’s recovery time and maximizing the best possible outcomes.  This made the Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS) during the recently concluded Scientific Conference to honour the hospital for her feats and outstanding achievement in tackling cardiovascular diseases through a consistent open-heart surgery with great success.

    These surgical feats would not have been possible without the expertise of our medical professionals at the LASUTH Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Unit (CTSU) led by Dr. Bode Falase, a Cardiac Surgeon and ably supported by the management of the hospital, under the leadership of the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo.

    In a few weeks, LASUTH will be the only government-owned hospital with a cardiac catheterization laboratory (Cathlab). This is a laboratory with special imaging equipment used for the visualization of the arteries and checking blood flow to and from the heart.

    The advantage of coming to LASUTH is that patient would be exceptionally cared for in his/her home environment at a reduced cost while also reducing medical tourism.