As the world marks 2026 World Cancer Day with the theme “United by Unique,” Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has called on the Nigerian government to urgently address what it described as a broken food system contributing to the country’s rising cancer burden.
In a statement issued to commemorate the day, CAPPA said cancer is no longer a distant threat in Nigeria but a growing public health crisis, with no fewer than 72,000 cancer-related deaths and over 120,000 new cases recorded annually, citing figures from the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.
The organisation noted that while genetic and environmental factors contribute to cancer incidence, growing evidence links the increasing cases of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers to unhealthy diets and the way food is produced and marketed in the country.
CAPPA therefore urged federal and state governments to adopt proactive measures aimed at fixing structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s food system, which it said are driving the rising prevalence of cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
According to the group, these weaknesses include the unrestricted marketing and consumption of ultra-processed foods, weak regulation of tobacco and emerging nicotine products, and excessive intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and salt.
The organisation called for stronger healthy food policies, including stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, increased funding for tobacco control, the development of national guidelines to reduce salt consumption with mandatory targets for processed foods, and a review of the current sugar-sweetened beverage tax from ₦10 per litre to 50 per cent of the retail price. It also advocated restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and clear nutrition standards for schools, hospitals and other public institutions.
Highlighting tobacco as one of the biggest preventable cancer risk factors, CAPPA demanded full implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act, inclusion of new nicotine products in advertising bans, higher tobacco excise taxes adjusted for inflation, and stricter enforcement against illicit tobacco trade.
The organisation also welcomed the federal government’s plan to dedicate pro-health taxes to cancer prevention and care, noting that such funding could help reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending.
CAPPA further urged governments at all levels to treat cancer control as a development priority, warning that Nigeria’s health sector is overstretched, with about 40,000 doctors serving a population of over 200 million.
“Nigeria cannot treat its way out of the cancer crisis. Prevention-focused policies, particularly around tobacco, food and alcohol, offer the most cost-effective gains. Combined with early detection, sustainable health financing and accountability, they can save thousands of lives each year,” the organisation said.
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