The African Regional Coordinator for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Saied Tafida has urged Nigerian government to implement higher taxes on alcohol and tobacco to address the rising threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Speaking on Tuesday at the the 2024 Gatefield Health Summit, Tafida said
the two commodities are part of the leading causes of heart and cardiovascular diseases in the country.
“About 30 per cent of deaths in Nigeria are caused by non-communicable diseases, which, in sub-Saharan Africa, account for one in every three deaths,” he said. “Globally, NCDs account for 74 per cent of global deaths.
“Fiscal policies have multiple purposes, but health fiscal policy mainly seeks to ‘reprice goods and behaviour that have costs that are borne by others or by the consumer in the future.”
Tafida highlighted that unhealthy consumption patterns, including excessive alcohol and tobacco use, lead to heart disease and other serious health issues.
Gatefield Lead Strategist, Adewunmi Emoruwa, supported increased taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, recommending a rise from the current 10% to at least 30%.
“This is crucial as the demographic profile of NCDs is shifting rapidly,” he stated.
The Deputy Director of the National Health Insurance Agency, Olufemi Adeoye, emphasised the need for greater investment in preventive measures. “It is clear that prevention must take centre stage,” he said, stressing the importance of protecting younger generations from preventable diseases.
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