FG, NASR Lament Nigeria’s High Diabetes Status

The Federal Government and the National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR) coalition are urging for increased education and advocacy to protect people with diabetes and those who are at risk as Nigeria has the highest diabetes prevalence in Africa, with six million individuals living with the disease.

They noted that Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for over 90 percent of diabetes cases, cause kidney failure, heart diseases, limb amputation, blindness, etc, and places a huge burden on people living with the disease, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

Speaking in Abuja, during a briefing to mark this year’s World Diabetes Day, organised by Gatefield, for NASR, a coalition of civil society organisations, Senior Manager in the Technical Department of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Maki, said the introduction of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) tax of N10 per litre was meant to discourage consumption of sugary drinks linked to several non-communicable diseases as diabetes.

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He said: “Diabetes does not only affect the health of Nigerians, lowers their productivity and reduces earning power, but also has a negative effect on the economy. Our ministry is working towards the appropriation of the tax towards specific health interventions in the next Finance Act.”

Advocacy Specialist with Gatefield, Shirley Ewang, said: “On December 31, 2021, a N10 per litre tax was introduced via the Finance Act (as a pro-health tax). Nigeria’s recently introduced sugar-sweetened beverage tax is an important policy with the potential to prevent diabetes and save lives. However, at only 10 Naira per litre, Nigeria’s SSB tax raises prices by only 6.7 percent.

“National Action on Sugar Reduction is advocating a tax policy that raises SSB prices by 20 percent, a tax rate that, according to evidence from World Health Organisation, will make a significant health impact by discouraging purchase and consumption of sugary beverages.”