Nigeria urged to strengthen health taxes for healthcare funding
The National Health Insurance Authority and Senate have called for coordinated reforms to health taxes, saying levies on tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages could discourage harmful consumption while generating domestic resources. Officials also stressed that transparent revenue allocation, public accountability and cooperation across government and civil society would be essential.
The National Health Insurance Authority and the Senate have urged Nigeria to strengthen health-tax reforms as a way to support sustainable healthcare financing and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. The call was made at a stakeholder workshop in Abuja on Wednesday. NHIA Director-General Kelechi Ohiri said reform could not be handled by one ministry or sector and required the involvement of the Finance Ministry, lawmakers, private organisations, civil society, the media and other stakeholders.
Ohiri said Nigeria was confronting infectious diseases and maternal mortality while also seeing a growing incidence of illnesses linked to sugar-sweetened beverages, tobacco and alcohol. He said predictable domestic funding was needed to improve the health system and access to essential services. He described health taxes as both public-health measures and a potential source of domestic revenue.
Ohiri disclosed that the Senate had passed a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Bill sponsored by its health committee and that the measure was awaiting concurrence from the House of Representatives. According to him, the proposed reforms would strengthen the existing framework and direct part of the proceeds towards health promotion, disease prevention and primary healthcare. He said the main challenge would be translating proposals into effective legal, fiscal and administrative arrangements.
Senate health committee chairman Ipalibo Banigo said the taxes should not be viewed solely as revenue measures. She called for a transparent system linking collections to measurable benefits, particularly for vulnerable people. WHO country representative Pavel Ursu said evidence alone would not guarantee reform, arguing that policymakers must understand the political and institutional interests shaping implementation.
Other participants, including researchers and public-health advocates, stressed collaboration, locally relevant research and clear communication about the taxes and use of proceeds.
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