World Cancer Day: CAPPA Urges Govt to Fix Food System to Curb Rising Cancer Cases

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has called on the federal and state governments to address what it describes as Nigeria’s “broken food system” as part of efforts to curb the rising burden of cancer in the country.
In a statement to mark the 2026 World Cancer Day themed “United by Unique,” the organisation said it stands in solidarity with the global community to honour millions affected by cancer, while also advocating personalised, patient-centred care.
CAPPA warned that cancer has become a growing epidemic in Nigeria, with about 72,000 cancer-related deaths recorded annually and more than 120,000 new cases each year, according to data from the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment. It said beyond genetic and environmental causes, emerging evidence now links the increasing cases of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers to the type of food consumed and how it is produced.
The organisation therefore urged governments at all levels to take proactive steps to address the public health crisis by fixing weaknesses in the country’s food system, which it said contributes to the rise in cancer and other non-communicable diseases.
According to CAPPA, the challenges include unregulated marketing and consumption of ultra-processed foods, weak control of tobacco and emerging nicotine products, as well as excessive intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and salt.
It called for stronger healthy-food policies, including tighter regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, increased tobacco control funding, national guidelines to reduce salt consumption, and mandatory salt limits for processed foods.
CAPPA also recommended an upward review of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax from the current ten naira per litre to fifty per cent of the retail price, alongside restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and the establishment of nutrition standards for schools, hospitals and other public institutions.
On tobacco control, the group stressed the need for full implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act, inclusion of emerging nicotine products in advertising bans, higher excise taxes adjusted for inflation, and stricter enforcement against illicit tobacco trade.
The organisation further commended the federal government’s plan to dedicate pro-health taxes to cancer prevention and treatment, noting that such measures would help reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
CAPPA urged authorities to prioritise cancer control as a development issue, warning that Nigeria’s health sector, with about 40,000 doctors serving over 200 million people, is under severe strain.
It emphasised that prevention-focused policies on tobacco, food and alcohol, combined with early detection and improved health financing, could save thousands of lives annually.