August, 2024

The purpose of the coalition is to collaborate and coordinate efforts to reduce salt intake in Nigeria, with the goal of improving public health and reducing the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD).

NHED Technical Advisor Dr Jerome Mafeni, highlighted the detrimental effects of excessive salt consumption on health, and emphasized the urgent need for action.

He noted  that reducing salt intake to less than 5 grams per day could potentially save millions of lives annually.

Dr. Mafeni stressed the importance for members of the coalition to create more  awareness campaigns and advocacy  to educate citizens about the health risks associated with high salt consumption.

In his presentation, he outlined  key areas for action to include : surveillance, industry engagement, labeling standards, knowledge dissemination, and environmental support.

The Country Coordinator of GHAI, Joy Amafah   highlighted the significance of implementing sodium reduction policies to improve nutrition levels in the country.

Batet Musa from Resolve to Save Lives reiterated the organization's commitment to salt reduction initiatives to mitigate diseases such as hypertension, particularly among younger generations.

The Program Manager NHED, Toyin Adeomi emphasized the role of coalition partners in engaging with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, to drive meaningful change in the country.

She highlighted that the coalition will focus on creating public awareness campaigns to educate individuals about the risks of excessive salt consumption and empower them to make informed dietary choices.

She noted that the role of the the coalition will include:

Collaboration with government agencies and public health organizations will be pursued to advocate for salt reduction policies and regulations.

Industry engagement will be encouraged to promote reformulation of foods and meals to contain less salt.

Monitoring and surveillance mechanisms will be established to track salt consumption trends and evaluate the effectiveness of intervention strategies.

The Program Manager of HERFON encouraged the coalition members to be committed to the course. On behalf of the member organization, he expressed  renewed commitment from all members to work collaboratively towards reducing excessive salt consumption in Nigeria. By leveraging collective expertise and resources, the coalition aims to safeguard the health and well-being of the population through sustained advocacy and action on salt reduction.