By JKNewsMedia
THE CORPORATE Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has announced the commencement of its Youth Bootcamp for Food Justice 2025, beginning on Sunday, August 24, at the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort in Ekiti State.
The residential programme, organised in partnership with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), will run until August 29 and will host participants drawn from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
CAPPA explained that the bootcamp is structured as an intensive training programme to prepare young leaders to engage with critical issues at the intersection of food, health, and policy.
Across the week, participants will take part in practical sessions including hands-on workshops, policy simulations, media strategy design, and scenario planning.
The organisation noted that the initiative responds to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria, which public health experts have linked to the rising consumption of ultra-processed foods high in fat, salt, and sugar.
CAPPA stated that weak regulation, misleading advertising, and aggressive promotion of such products have compounded the risks.
“Food justice is becoming one of the defining public health and social issues of our time,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director at CAPPA.
“This bootcamp is about equipping young Nigerians with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to take part in shaping nutrition policies and environments that affect what we eat, how we live, and ultimately, the health of our communities.”
The bootcamp will feature a faculty of both local and international experts in food policy and public health, many of whom are also experienced campaigners and social justice advocates.
Sessions will examine Nigeria’s food environment, with discussions on the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax, legislative pathways for advancing food justice, strategies for tackling non-communicable diseases, and approaches to grassroots mobilisation for healthier diets.
CAPPA highlighted that these issues have taken on new urgency.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that non-communicable diseases now account for nearly 30 percent of deaths in Nigeria.
Conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are rising in both urban and rural communities.
Diabetes is projected to affect more than six million Nigerians by 2045, an increase from 3.9 million in 2019, while hypertension is estimated to affect one in three adults.
The statement, signed by Robert Egbe, Media and Communication Officer, CAPPA, notes that these diet and lifestyle-linked conditions are causing premature deaths and adding pressure to a health system already challenged by infectious diseases.
Public health advocates have consistently warned that without stronger oversight of the food and beverage industry, particularly through effective regulation of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened products, Nigeria could face escalating health crises similar to those that have strained systems in other parts of the world.
For CAPPA, the bootcamp represents a means of developing leadership capacity among young Nigerians to respond to these challenges through evidence-based advocacy.
“We believe that young people are at the forefront of change,” Oluwafemi said. “They are not only consumers but also future policymakers, researchers, and leaders who must be part of the solution.”
The event is also designed to encourage collaboration and build networks. CAPPA confirmed that many participants are expected to maintain contact beyond the training, creating a national platform of food justice advocates capable of sharing experiences, coordinating campaigns, and amplifying collective impact.
CAPPA advised members of the public seeking further information to contact admin@cappaafrica.org
or zibeh@cappaafrica.org
Meta description: CAPPA opens Youth Bootcamp for Food Justice 2025 in Ekiti, training young Nigerians on food policy, health, and advocacy against ultra-processed foods.
Key phrases:
Youth Bootcamp for Food Justice 2025
CAPPA food policy training
Nigeria non-communicable diseases
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax Nigeria
Tags: CAPPA, Food Justice, Public Health
Slug: cappa-youth-bootcamp-food-justice-2025
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