The Trans Fat-Free Nigeria Coalition Partners held a two-day meeting organized by Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) to expand and strengthen the TFA(Trans Fat Acids) Coalition. The meeting’s agenda was to strategize on measures for a more effective campaign for Trans Fat-Free Nigeria and to establish consensus on:
- measures and strategies to advance the finalization of gazetting regulatory policies on trans fats and oils.
- implementation of the agreed measures and strategies.
Increasing Voice and Visibility
The partners deliberated extensively and identified roles/responsibilities that will facilitate gazetting of the fat and oils regulations. Below are some commitments expressed by the members of the coalition towards attaining the fat and oils, pre-packaged foods 2019 policies and regulations to be gazetted by the Nigerian House of Representatives and Senate.
- Commit to training members at the state level on Trans Fat and its elimination campaign – HERFON
- Pledges to support policy formulation/laboratory capacity building for TFA analysis – RTSL
- Share more information with the coalition on what RTSL is doing in-country.
- Quote: “As a coalition, we must be a TFA free zone”, and they pledge to support qualitative research work – Ave Health Sense
- Policy development & documentation for the coalition – Food & Drug Department (FMOH).
- We pledge to push the campaign through our communication networks & platforms with our partners in all states – CS-SUNN.
- Through our multi-sectoral action plan, we will ensure that the subcommittee for risk factors will keep track of TFAs and we commit to communicating to our management about the need for regular meetings of the subcommittee – Non-communicable Diseases (FMOH).
- Promises to collaborate in research and share the campaign of TFA Elimination with his professional networks – Dr. Francis Fagbule (University College Hospital University of Ibadan)
- Pledges to coordinate nutrition-based MDAs at the state levels on TFA and support sensitization of TFAs from the ‘fact sheets’ of this coalition – Food & Nutrition (Min. of Finance & Budgeting)
- Commits to including iTFAs in the review of labeling recommendations and also commit to facilitating the inclusion of this coalition in the NCD Alliance – Nigerian Heart Foundation
- Mentor her network of journalists on TFAs – Vanessa Offiong, Journalist – TFA Free Advocate
- Pledges to amplify the communication of the coalition on TFAs – CAPPA.
- Promises to partner with the coalition and pledges to use its position as regional health advocacy to promote the TFAs and members of the coalition will be invited to educate its trainees– West African Institute of Public Health.
- Commits to raising high-level advocacy, sensitization and mobilization for the campaign for the elimination of TFAs. Pledges to get its media arm involved in amplifying the campaign – Nutrition Society of Nigeria
- Pledges to health in data research – Nigerian Heart Foundation (Volunteer)
- When regulations & policies have been gazetted, they will help promote and educate the public – FCCPC Representative
- Promises to strengthen the coalition to ensure the regulations/policies get gazetted and the campaign is expanded. To sustain the harmonious working conditions of the coalition and to provide technical information & SMEs – NHED
- Pledges unwavering support to the coalition, through funding within its portfolio and promoting dialogue on the elimination of TFAs – GHAI
- Willing to support the coalition technically and promote TFA elimination through the support of the National NCD control mechanism – Technical Working Group Subcommittee, TWG and NCD National Governing Council
Present at the meeting were representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Government institutions (Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission), World Health Organization (WHO), Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Corporate Accountability & Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Ave Health Sense, Nigeria Heart Foundation (NHF), Heart Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Sun Business Network (SBN), Civil Society –Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), KorrectHealth, University College Hospital /the University of Ibadan, Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Global Sentinel.