Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a directive banning the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET or glass bottles under 200ml, with compliance required by next month.
NAFDAC warned manufacturers, distributors, and retailers that no further extensions will be granted.
The decision follows a Senate resolution last week urging NAFDAC to enforce the ban within the stipulated timeframe.
Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC’s Director-General, who announced the directive yesterday in Abuja, cited the agency’s mandate to protect public health and shield vulnerable populations, particularly children, adolescents, and young adults, from the harmful effects of alcohol misuse.
"The proliferation of high-alcohol content beverages in small containers has made them easily accessible, affordable, and concealable.
"This has contributed to widespread misuse among minors and commercial drivers and is linked to rising cases of domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts, and social vices.
"Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder. Children already addicted to alcohol are at high risk of progressing to hard drugs.
"This is a matter of national security. If children grow up consuming alcohol from a young age, it normalises abuse and threatens the future workforce," Adeyeye said.
The NAFDAC boss recalled a December 2018 agreement under which the agency, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) signed a five-year memorandum with the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by January 31, 2024.
The deadline was subsequently extended to December 2025 to allow industry operators to exhaust existing stock and adapt production lines.
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