Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called for urgent reform of Nigeria’s food system, urging the government to prioritise healthier food choices to curb the country’s growing cancer burden.

The public interest organisation appealed on World Cancer Day, themed ‘United by Unique,’ reaffirming its solidarity with the global community in honouring the millions affected by cancer.

In a statement signed by CAPPA’s Media & Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, the organisation warned that cancer is no longer a distant threat in Nigeria but a growing epidemic, with at least 72,000 annual cancer-related deaths and over 120,000 new cases recorded each year, according to the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.

It noted that while genetic and environmental factors contribute, emerging evidence links the rise in colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers to the food Nigerians consume and how it is produced.

CAPPA therefore urged both federal and state governments to implement proactive measures to address “the cracks in our food system that are driving the rising burden of cancer and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria.”

The organisation highlighted issues such as the widespread marketing and consumption of ultra-processed foods, poor regulation of tobacco and new nicotine products, and excessive intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and salt as major risk factors.

The statement outlined several recommendations, including stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, an upward review of the tobacco control budget, national guidelines to reduce salt intake, and the imposition of mandatory salt targets for processed foods.

CAPPA also called for a review of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax from the current N10 per litre to 50 per cent of the retail price, restrictions on unhealthy food marketing to children, and clear nutrition standards for schools, hospitals, and other public institutions.

Acknowledging tobacco as one of the largest preventable cancer risks, the organisation urged full implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act, inclusion of new nicotine products in advertising bans, higher excise taxes adjusted for inflation, and strict enforcement against illicit tobacco and nicotine products.

CAPPA further commended the federal government’s plan to earmark pro-health taxes for cancer prevention and care, noting that such measures could reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending. It also called for cancer control to be treated as a development priority, warning that Nigeria’s health sector, with only 40,000 doctors for over 200 million people, is at a breaking point.

“Nigeria cannot treat its way out of the cancer crisis. Prevention-focused policies, particularly those targeting tobacco, food, and alcohol, offer perhaps the biggest and most cost-effective gains.