Gatefield Launches Health Strategy To Address Life Expectancy Crisis

Friendly smiling young doctor supporting older patient during visit.

Gatefield has launched a comprehensive health strategy aimed at addressing Nigeria’s life expectancy crisis, where the average life span currently stands at just 52 years. 

This initiative targets the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), responsible for 30 per cent of all deaths in the country.

At the launch during the 2024 Gatefield Health Summit, Gatefield’s lead strategist, Adewunmi Emoruwa emphasised the urgent need for interventions to combat diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke.

The summit brought together global health leaders and advocates to address the NCD crisis in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 37 percent of deaths in the region. “NCDs claim over 684,000 lives annually in Nigeria, equivalent to wiping out the population of Luxembourg every year,” Emoruwa noted.

Themed “Beyond 65,” the summit aims to highlight the gap between life expectancy in Nigeria and high-income countries, where people typically live beyond 80 years. Gatefield’s board co-chair,Sa’adatu Hamu-Aliyu explained that this gap reflects systemic issues in healthcare access and lifestyle choices.

Gatefield’s strategy includes five key interventions: reducing sugar, sodium and ultra-processed food consumption; strengthening tobacco control laws; encouraging physical activity; promoting cleaner energy policies and addressing mental health crises.

A professor of nutrition, Barry Popkin discussed the rising rates of obesity in Nigeria, particularly among vulnerable groups. He expressed concern over dietary shifts, especially increased consumption of ultra-processed foods among pregnant women and infants. Popkin stressed the need for policies such as warning labels on harmful food products, which have been proven to reduce the intake of high-sugar and sodium foods.

Stakeholders at the summit advocated for fiscal policies to address the rise of NCDs in Nigeria. UNDP Africa’s regional coordinator,Sa’id Tafida highlighted the role of taxes on harmful products like tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverages in reducing consumption. Tafida also called for prioritising public health spending.

Fatima Dambatta of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive public health approach that tackles both communicable and non-communicable diseases. “The burden of NCDs, responsible for 74 percent of global deaths, cannot be ignored,” she said.

With NCD-related deaths in Nigeria rising from 24 per cent in 2010 to 29 per cent today and high rates of inactivity and air pollution worsening health risks, the 2024 Gatefield Health Summit aims to unite global leaders to address this growing crisis and promote effective healthcare strategies.