By Juliet Umeh
As the world marks World Cancer Day 2026 under the theme “United by Unique,” Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, is urging Nigeria to look beyond hospital wards and chemotherapy rooms, arguing that the country’s escalating cancer burden is being quietly fuelled by a broken food system.
In a statement to commemorate the day, CAPPA warned that cancer has evolved from a distant health threat into a full-scale public health emergency in Nigeria. Citing data from the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, the organisation noted that the country records over 120,000 new cancer cases annually, alongside at least 72,000 cancer-related deaths each year.
While acknowledging the role of genetics and environmental exposure, CAPPA said mounting scientific evidence increasingly links the rise in colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers to what Nigerians eat—and how that food is processed, marketed, and regulated.
According to the organisation, Nigeria’s food environment has become saturated with ultra-processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, excessive salt, and poorly regulated tobacco and nicotine products, all of which are established risk factors for cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
“Cancer is no longer only a medical issue; it is a policy failure,” CAPPA said, calling on federal and state governments to urgently address systemic weaknesses that continue to expose Nigerians to preventable health risks.
The group identified major gaps in regulation, including unrestricted marketing of unhealthy foods, weak enforcement of tobacco control laws, aggressive promotion of emerging nicotine products, and the widespread consumption of sugary drinks and high-salt foods.
CAPPA urged the government to strengthen prevention-focused health policies, recommending stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, an upward review of Nigeria’s tobacco control budget, and the development of a national salt-reduction guideline with mandatory salt targets for processed and packaged foods. It also called for a review of the current N10 per litre sugar-sweetened beverage tax, proposing an increase to 50 per cent of the final retail price to curb consumption.
Other recommendations include restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, as well as the introduction of clear nutrition standards for schools, hospitals, and other public institutions.
Highlighting tobacco as one of the most preventable causes of cancer, CAPPA called for full enforcement of the National Tobacco Control Act, expansion of advertising bans to cover new and emerging nicotine products, inflation-adjusted excise taxes on tobacco, and stricter action against illicit tobacco and nicotine trade.
The organisation also welcomed the federal government’s plan to earmark pro-health taxes for cancer prevention and care, noting that such funding mechanisms could reduce Nigeria’s heavy reliance on out-of-pocket healthcare spending.
CAPPA warned that Nigeria’s already overstretched health system is ill-equipped to manage the growing cancer burden, pointing to reports that the country has about 40,000 doctors serving over 200 million people.
“Nigeria cannot treat its way out of the cancer crisis,” the organisation stated. “Prevention-focused policies—particularly those addressing tobacco, food, and alcohol—offer the most cost-effective gains. When combined with early detection, sustainable health financing, and accountability, they have the potential to save thousands of lives every year.”
