A review on the sachetization of alcohol and its associated risks in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control implemented a ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small bottles on February 1, 2024. The ban was based on a World Health Organization policy framework introduced in 2010 to reduce harmful alcohol use. However, the House of Representatives subsequently overturned the ban, citing its potential economic implications. The implementation of the order may result in the shutdown of companies that produce these products, job losses, and the worsening livelihoods of the dependents of affected workers, particularly in the context of the country’s recent high inflation following the removal of fuel subsidies. Affordable, small-sized alcoholic beverage packages have raised concerns regarding increased risk of misuse and addiction across different social strata. Alcohol consumption has been linked to the use of illicit drugs, engagement in risky sexual behaviors, violence, school dropout, neurocognitive and psychosocial impairments, cardiometabolic dysfunction, epigenetic and immunosuppressive effects, hepatorenal and endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, injuries, and mortality. Therefore, it is important to report on the growing prevalence of alcohol use in Nigeria and other neighboring African countries, as well as its associated acute and chronic effects on the population at both the national and global levels.