The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA has announced the commencement of its 2025 Youth Bootcamp on Food Justice, scheduled to begin on Sunday, August 24, at the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort in Ekiti State.
The week-long residential programme, organised in partnership with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), will run until August 29 and bring together young Nigerians from all six geopolitical zones.
According to CAPPA, the bootcamp was conceived to equip the next generation of leaders with practical knowledge and skills to address issues at the intersection of food, health, and policy. Participants will engage in hands-on workshops, policy simulations, media strategy design, and scenario planning exercises.
“Food justice is becoming one of the defining public health and social issues of our time,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA. “This bootcamp is about equipping young Nigerians with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to take part in shaping nutrition policies and environments that affect what we eat, how we live, and ultimately, the health of our communities.”
The training will feature local and international experts in food policy and public health, with sessions exploring Nigeria’s food environment, the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax, legislative pathways to food justice, and grassroots mobilisation strategies for healthier diets.
Public health data underscores the urgency of these conversations. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity now account for nearly 30 percent of deaths in Nigeria. Diabetes cases, for example, are projected to rise from 3.9 million in 2019 to over six million by 2045. Experts have linked these trends to rising consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks, alongside weak regulation and misleading advertising by the food and beverage industry.
CAPPA emphasised that the bootcamp also aims to build a growing network of young food justice advocates who will continue to collaborate beyond the training.
“We believe that young people are at the forefront of change,” Oluwafemi added. “They are not only consumers but also future policymakers, researchers, and leaders who must be part of the solution.”