ABUJA, Nigeria – Two leading public health organisations have thrown their weight behind the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as it prepares to enforce a nationwide ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET bottles and glass bottles of 200ml and below from December 2025.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) described the ban as a “long-overdue” intervention essential to protecting children, young people and other vulnerable groups from harmful drinking patterns.
According to NAFDAC, the ban aims to reduce the widespread misuse of cheap alcoholic drinks linked to domestic violence, road crashes, school dropout rates and escalating addiction among young Nigerians.
While the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) warned that the policy could trigger up to five million job losses and harm investment, the civil society groups dismissed those claims as “inflated and misleading.”
CAPPA and NHED argued that the alcohol industry often deploys fear tactics to resist regulation, mirroring global strategies used by tobacco corporations.
NHED Technical Director Dr Jerome Mafeni stressed that public health must take precedence over profits. “The long-term social and economic costs of alcohol-related harm far outweigh any short-term losses. Sachet alcohol disproportionately targets poor and marginalised communities,” he said.
CAPPA’s Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi described the ban as consistent with global best practice. “No credible public health agency permits highly potent alcohol packaged for on-the-go and underage consumption,” he said.
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