FG Launches 2026–2030 Alcohol Policy To Curb Health, Social Harm

The Federal Government has launched the Nigeria Alcohol Policy and its Multisectoral Implementation Plan (2026–2030), aimed at reducing the health, social and economic consequences associated with harmful alcohol consumption in the country.

The five-year policy provides a unified national framework for the production, distribution, marketing and consumption of alcohol, while promoting responsible practices across the industry.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, launched the policy in Abuja on Thursday. He was represented at the event by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom.

Pate said although the alcohol industry contributes to the economy through manufacturing, employment and agriculture, harmful alcohol use has consequences that extend beyond the health sector.

He listed some of the consequences as reduced productivity, violence, injuries, mental health challenges and financial hardship.

“Alcohol is part of that economic reality. It supports manufacturing, employment, agriculture and domestic value chains, while ethanol also has important pharmaceutical, laboratory and industrial uses.

“We must also confront the other side of that reality. Harmful alcohol use contributes to disease, injuries, violence, mental health challenges, financial hardship and loss of productivity,” he said.

The minister said the policy was also aligned with Nigeria’s national, continental and global commitments to reducing the harmful use of alcohol.

He cited the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 3, 8, 9 and 11, as well as relevant World Health Organisation frameworks on reducing alcohol-related harm.

Pate said WHO data showed that total alcohol consumption in Nigeria stood at 3.2 litres of pure alcohol per person aged 15 years and above in 2024.

He also linked alcohol consumption to road traffic crashes, noting that the Federal Road Safety Corps recorded 9,570 crashes and 5,421 deaths nationwide in 2024, with driving under the influence of alcohol identified as one of the contributing factors.

On implementation, Pate said the government would monitor compliance across the alcohol value chain, the level of illicit and unrecorded alcohol, access to care for people affected by alcohol-related disorders, and reductions in alcohol-related illnesses, injuries and deaths.

“Our objective, therefore, is not simply to have a national alcohol policy on paper by 2030. It is to have a policy that has translated into healthier people, safer communities, more responsible industry practices and stronger institutions,” he said.

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who also attended the launch, said the policy was anchored in Nigeria’s broader health and socio-economic reform agenda.

Adeyeye said the policy reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to the SDGs, particularly those relating to good health and well-being, sustainable industry, and safe and resilient communities.

She, however, stressed the government’s commitment to protecting consumers, particularly underage persons and other vulnerable groups, while promoting responsible practices across relevant industries.

The policy is expected to provide a coordinated framework for government agencies and other stakeholders to tackle harmful alcohol use while balancing public health concerns with the economic activities associated with the alcohol industry.