In recognition of the Global Week for Action on NCDs, we are delighted to invite civil society organisations, policymakers, youth health advocates, and anyone with an interest in healthy food policies to our upcoming webinar, “From Policy to Practice: Strengthening the Implementation of Healthy Food Policies.” This webinar will take place on Tuesday 1st September from 11 am to 12:30 pm AST (4 pm to 5:30 pm WAT)
Featuring guest speakers Omei Bongos, Public Health Lead at Gatefield, and Shirley Ewang, Democracy and Governance Lead at Gatefield, this webinar will explore the lessons learned from their successful sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation advocacy campaign in Nigeria, including an exploration of the impact that SSB taxation is already having on public health.
Our speakers will present a case study highlighting how Gatefield deployed communication campaigns, including digital, media, and legislative advocacy, as key strategies of their advocacy approach.
Discussions will also explore tactics for mobilising public support for healthy food policies and approaches to countering industry interference. Coalition building, which was a key feature of Gatefield’s advocacy efforts, will also be discussed. In addition, the speakers will highlight how patient stories helped influence policy decisions that led to the creation of a dedicated health fund.
Gatefield will also discuss the challenges encountered in securing the introduction of the tax, as well as Nigeria’s updated SSB tax framework, under which a portion of the tax revenue is channelled towards a dedicated health fund.
Join us for this engaging exploration of how we can translate commitments into action, strengthen the implementation of much-needed healthy food policies, reduce the public’s risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and ultimately improve population health.
About Our Speakers
Omei Bongos is the public health lead at Gatefield, where she spearheads high-impact campaigns, policy communications, and social marketing initiatives to drive change in Nigeria’s health landscape. She led communications for the National Action on Sugar Reduction coalition, which advocated for the passage of Nigeria’s first sugar-sweetened beverage tax in 2021. Omei’s work bridges disease prevention, operational and qualitative research, health systems strengthening, and policy engagement.
Shirley Ewang is an advocacy and systems change leader, and the Democracy and Governance lead at Gatefield. She led the landmark advocacy campaign that resulted in the passage of Nigeria’s first SSB tax in 2021. At Gatefield, she directs campaigns and partnerships that shape public discourse and influence public policy across Africa.
Register
You can register for this webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/88cYQ_8QSTKGF52M-VaSLQ
This webinar forms part of Lake Health and Wellbeing’s My Healthy Heroes project, which is currently being funded by the European Union through the EU-CaN initiative. Views and opinions expressed are those of Lake Health and Wellbeing only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CPVA. Neither the European Union nor the contracting authority can be held responsible for them.
